High School and Figure Skating
by Symphony-of-the-Soul
Summary: The Sonic gang goes to high school, and instantly gets plunged into drama revolving around the rest of their classmates that has been brewing since elementary school. SonAmy, Knuxouge, Silvaze, CreamxCharmy, ShadowxOC, Espave, OCxOC.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, everyone! Just a brief disclaimer! I do not own any of the official Sonic characters in this story, or any of the songs mentioned! I took a lot of ideas for figure skating including routines, outfits, ect. From the movie Ice Princess and videos of Sasha Cohen and Fumie Sugurie! Everything just listed belongs to their respective owners, not me! All OC's mentioned either belong to me or EchidnaGirl! No copyright infringement intended!**

* * *

Amy Rose woke up to the sound of her alarm clock buzzing in her ear. This was the day. Her first day of high school. She was going to Mobius academy, a boarding school, with the rest of the sonic gang. Most of them were starting in the same grade, save for Cream and Charmy, who would be going to middle school, as well as vector, who decided to be an "inside man" in the school and teach gym.

Amy did her morning routine (brushing teeth, showering, eating, ect.) and looked at the clock. It was 10 AM now, she needed to leave by 11 AM. She then put on her uniform, which consisted of a black tank top, a light green jacket, and a light green mini skirt. This ensemble was chosen by Amy, despite it being a uniform. The school actually supplied many choices to mix and match for a student's uniform. Next, she put on a black headband and black heels, along with a gold belt an two gold bangles. Satisfied with how the outfit was put together, she looked at the clock, reading 10:30. Amy finished packing her remaining items into her LARGE suitcase, and double-checked to see if everything in the house was in order before she left. At 10:50, Amy was convinced all was in order and headed outside with her bag to wait for the bus.

The bus arrived right on time, and Amy handed the driver her bag, who was almost knocked over by the sheer weight of it. On the bus, Amy looked around seeing the whole gang already there.

"Hi, guys!" She said.

In return, she got a series of greetings as she went and sat down in a seat by Cream, across the isle from Rouge. Cream was wearing the middle school uniform, which resembled a light green and white sailor suit. Rouge wore a black tank top with a light green jacket and mini skirt. Rouge, unlike Amy, didn't wear any jewelry, but instead wore her signature black boots that went above her knees.

"This is going to be great!" Amy said.

"I agree, but I don't see why _all_ of us have to be freshmen." Rouge complained. "I mean, I should be a senior."

"Well, we've never really gotten a _real_ education, so I guess we should be thankful we weren't sent to elementary school." Amy explained.

"Yeah." Cream said. "I'm surprised I wasn't sent to elementary school. Charmy, too.

The rest of the bus ride was comprised of talking about the school, people they'd meet, and other random things of that matter. Before long, they arrived at the school. Once everyone (just the high schoolers, Cream and Charmy had a little bit longer to ride) had gotten off the bus and collected their bags, they walked into school, the place they were spending the next four years.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! OC's belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 2

As soon as the gang entered, they were greeted by a purple cat with a red jewel on her forehead. She was wearing a tank top with light green as the top half and white as the bottom. She wore the light green jacket over the tank top, and wore a light green mini skirt with black jeans underneath. She also wore the set of shoes the school sells: white, closed-toe flats, with a band around the ankle.

"Hi, I'm Blaze the Cat." She announced to the group. "I'm a freshmen here at MA, like you, but I'll also be your guide around the school. Feel free to ask me any questions. Now if you'll follow me, I'll show you to our dorm."

Once they got to the dorm, they were greeted by a silver hedgehog with a peculiar hairdo.

"Hey. My name's Silver the hedgehog. Looks like we're gonna be dorm-mates!" Silver said with a grin.

"Moving on, your names are on the door of your room. Girls are through the door on the right, boys the door on the left. Go ahead and unpack, then we'll go on a tour of the school." Blaze said.

On the girls' side of the dorm, there were 5 rooms, and each girl had her own. Amy's was the first, then Rouge, then Blaze, followed by a girl named Wave and with a girl named Cameron at the end of the hall. Each girl had a bed, desk, dresser, lamp, bedside table, and window in her room. Each girl also had a closet and personal bathroom at their disposal.

The boys' side was set up the same as the girls', with 5 rooms. But due to the larger amount of boys, they had to share rooms. The pairs were: Sonic & Tails in the first room, Knuckles & Shadow in the next, Espio & Silver after that, then two guys named Jet & Storm, and finally the dorm supervisor, Vector **(A/N: YAY ME! I feel so smart right now. ^.^)**. The setup of the rooms were the same, only with 2 of each piece of moveable furniture.

The main area of the dorm had a living room with 2 couches, a few chairs, and a flat screen TV mounted on the wall, complete with DVD player and surround sound. There was also a kitchen with a stove/oven, microwave, toaster, coffee pot, fridge, sink, lots of cabinets, and a counter that surrounded the area on 3 sides. There was an island in the middle of the kitchen, too. Beside the kitchen was a dining area, which was basically a HUGE table surrounded by 14 chairs.

As everyone got done unpacking, they came out and were given their schedules and maps by Blaze. **(A/N: Today is pretty much a free day all day for students to get accustomed to the school) **Blaze then gave them the grand tour, showing them all of their classes, the cafeteria, the gym, auditorium, ect. Then it was time for the school dinner (which is only on the first & last days of school) for the students to introduce themselves to their classmates. At the table the gang had claimed, Blaze and Silver were pointing out the people they knew, and how to approach them.

"They," Blaze pointed to a group of three birds: a green hawk, a purple swallow, and a grey albatross, "are Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow, and Storm the Albatross. They call themselves the Babylon Rogues. They're also our dorm-mates. They look mean, but once you get to know them, they're OK."

"And those guys," Silver pointed to two groups of three made up of assorted species, "are the most popular people in the school, and also the class bullies.

"The girls' queen bee is Hannah the Hedgehog. She gets whatever she wants, when she wants it. Her two current group members are Anna the Rabbit and Montana the Cat. She gets new ones every few months or so, maybe more if the ones she has are loyal to her or not." Blaze said.

"The leader of the boys' group is Peter the Porcupine. A real stuck-up brat, if you ask me. His lackeys are Butch and Spike, twin Crocodiles. Those two groups together rule the school. You'd best not get in their way." Silver commented.

"The only other person you have to worry about is her." Blaze said, pointing to a brown female echidna.

Her hair was draped over her right eye and went down to her waist. She wore the tank top with light green on the top half and white on the bottom half, the light green jacket, and, unlike most of the girls in the school, a long, light green skirt with white along the bottom that went down to her ankles. She wore the school's set of shoes, like Blaze, and had a golden locket dangling around her neck. The tables were fairly large, some of them overcrowded, and despite that, her table was completely empty, with her sitting in the middle.

"She's Cameron the Echidna, AKA the school outcast. There are various rumors going around about her, but the only facts I know are that she's a figure skater, she's our last dorm-mate, and something bad always happens to the people who get close to her. Both of her parents are dead, and the last guy who tried to be her friend was hit by a car the day they were official friends." Blaze explained.

"Some people say she's cursed." Silver added.

"The guy who was hit by the car recovered, but when he came back, Cam went up to him to ask if he was okay, and if he needed any help. He punched her in the face and told her he never wanted to see her face again. She's avoided him ever since." Blaze ended her story.

There was a long silence at the table, many looked over at Cam, eating alone, no emotion on her face.

"Anyway," Silver said, trying to move on with the conversation, "you should avoid her as much as possible. Don't talk to her, don't help her, and _definitely_ don't smile at her in a kind manner. At least not out in public."

All of a sudden, there was a commotion from the other side of the lunch room. Hannah and Peter had moved with their comrades to a position in front of Cam. Her food was now knocked across the table and completely ruined.

"Not again." Blaze said as she signaled everyone to move closer to the scene and watch.

"May I help you?" Cam asked, looking at the pair with no emotion whatsoever.

"What were you doing just now?!" Hannah yelled in a rather annoying manner.

"Eating." Cam said simply.

"LIAR!" Hannah yelled. " YOU WERE_ LOOKING_ AT ME!"

"Is there something wrong with observing the world around me?" Cam asked, still no emotion.

"YOU WERE TRYING TO CURSE ME, WEREN'T YOU?!" Hannah yelled once again.

"WITCH!" Anna yelled.

"DEMON!" Montana yelled.

"No, really, I was just looking." Cam said again.

"You're a liar!" Peter yelled. "Butch! Spike!"

The two crocodiles then jumped over the table and took Cam by the arms, pulled her out of her chair, and slammed her against the wall, holding her there. Cam flinched, but afterwards still stared at him with the same emotionless face as always.

"You know what you get for lying, don't you?" Peter asked her, getting right up in her face.

"The same thing I get for everything I do, be it wrong or not?" Cam asked.

Something changed in her eyes when she asked that, they turned from dull brown to a lighter shade, like life was put back in them, like they were smirking for her.

"WHY YOU LITTLE-" Peter yelled before punching her twice, one punch on each cheek.

Cam moved her head back forward, looking at Peter again. The light in her eyes had disappeared again.

"Now, what were you doing again?" Peter asked in a low voice.

"I was trying to curse her." Cam said, averting her gaze.

"Well, then. I suppose I'll forgive you this time. But what about you, Hannah?" Peter asked.

"_I_ say it's unforgivable." Hannah said in a smug way.

"Well, then. You know what to do, Butch, Spike." Peter directed.

The two just nodded and walked Cam through the crowd toward the doors. On the way, they passed right through the Sonic gang, all staring at Cam. She only stared at the ground. Back with Peter and Hannah, everyone was showering praise and concern on the two, with no concern for Cam whatsoever.

Everyone returned back to the table, still taking it all in.

"It's been like that since elementary school." Silver said. "She's not dead yet, and she won't be dead today."

"I just don't get it." Amy said. "Why won't she fight back?!"

"She can't." Blaze said. "She tried once, in middle school. As soon as she landed one punch, the teachers came in and busted the fight up. Cam was given detention for 3 months and had to clean the school every day after school for the rest of the year."

"Then why aren't those guys punished?" Tails asked.

"I already told you." Blaze said. "They rule the school."

With that, the dinner ended, and everyone retired to their dorms.

When the gang got back, they found the Babylon Rogues sitting on one of the couches, watching TV.

"Hey." Jet greeted. "That girl had me give you guys a message. She says: 'I noticed that you didn't eat anything at the dinner. There's food staying warm in the oven. Help yourselves.' She's in her room now. I don't know how, but she didn't have so much as a scratch on her. Maybe she really is a witch."

"Oh, please Jet." Wave said while rolling her eyes. "It's been like that since elementary school. Get over it."

*BUUUUUURP.* Was Storm's only comment.

"Ugh… why do I even hang out with you guys?" Wave asked.

Meanwhile, Sonic had already gone and investigated the oven.

"DUUUUUUUDE!!!!!!!! This food is AWESOME!" Sonic yelled from the kitchen.

"Well don't eat all of it Sonic! Help me put it on the table!" Amy yelled back.

Soon, all of the food was on the table, and those who would only had a few seconds to admire the display before it was attacked, and had to rush to get some. In a manner of minutes, all of the food was gone.

"Okay, now who's doing the dishes?" Tails asked.

"There were choruses of "I'm not!"s and "They will!"s from the group, until another person spoke up.

"I'll do them." Cam simply stated as she began collecting the dishes.

"Well, if you insist…" Amy began. "I'll help you." Amy then began collecting the dishes on the other side of the table.

"Wha- ?! Umm… I can do them on my own…" Cam was shocked at Amy's actions.

"No, no. That wouldn't be fair. You cooked, you should relax. Have a little fun!" Amy said, now taking Cam's pile of dishes and the task of washing the dishes.

"Umm… I…" No one had shown her this much kindness since… her mother…

Cam was snapped out of her daze by a hand on her shoulder.

"Yoo-hoo! Mobius to Cam! Mobius to Cam! Do you read?" Sonic said, shaking her a little.

"Umm… yeah… I kind of have to in order to pass any subject…" Cam said, confused.

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, heck, everyone cracked up at this remark.

"What?" Cam asked, blinking.

This only made everyone (except Shadow and Espio, who just smirked) laugh even harder.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY?! IT'S TRUE!" Cam yelled. This was so confusing.

Everyone else was busy laughing, so Shadow had to explain.

"It's a joke… it's supposed to indicate you were 'spaced out', so that way of speaking was like that of reaching an astronaut in space." Shadow stated.

"Ohh….. OK. I get it… sort of." Cam said.

"OKAY! IT'S 10 o'clock! You have a half an hour 'till lights out!" Vector yelled as he walked into the room. "Big day tomorrow. You'd better get your rest."

There were various comments to this statement, but everyone went back to their rooms to get ready for bed, nonetheless.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 3

It was 5:30 AM the next day, about 3 hours before everyone had to get ready. **(A/N: I know that's late and they're lucky ducks, but they're kept later in the day because of that.)** Shadow had just woken up and was walking into the main room, he wasn't one for waking up that late, anyway. At the same time, Cam came out of the door to the Girls' hallway, wearing sweatpants and a zip-up hoodie, with a skirt made out of thin material draped over her pants. Her hair was pulled back, revealing her face. She was wearing gloves and carrying a duffle bag with her.

"Where are you going?" Shadow asked.

"Eh… Morning practice." Cam responded, grabbing an apple out of the fruit basket and taking a bite.

"Mind if I come?" Shadow asked. He had nothing better to do. Besides, this girl was interesting.

"Well… I'll have to OK it with coach, but you should be OK coming today. She needs to check you out before she can approve of you anyway. Oh! And you need to wear something warm, too. Go put a sweater on or something. But make it fast, I don't wanna be late." Cam said.

Shadow nodded and left the room, coming back with jeans and a black sweatshirt on. **(A/N: YES! THE BOYS WEAR CLOTHES! They all have the same uniform too. It's like a black suit with a white undershirt and a light green tie and black dress shoes. That's what shadow was wearing before. MOVING ON!)**

"Okay." Cam said. "Let's go. We've got a lot of ground to cover."

As they left the building, Cam started to talk things over with herself.

"Alright, so at this rate, we should get there about 5 minutes early, since it should take an hour to get there…" Cam mumbled.

"You DID remember to set your clock forward last night, right?" Shadow asked.

"WHAT?!" Cam's voice went about an octave higher in that one word.

"It's daylight savings. Clock goes forward an hour. You did remember, right?" Shadow explained.

"Ahh! No, I didn't! I'm gonna be late! I'm gonna be late! Ahhhhhh! Coach is going to kill me!!!" Cam's face was a mix of . and D: and a little bit of .. Let's just say she spazzed out.

"How do you get there?" Shadow asked.

Cam stopped being a spaz for a moment.

"Umm… go straight up this street then make a right on 7th Street, then it's the big arena that says 'SKATING RINK' on it. Why?" Cam asked.

Shadow didn't respond, he just picked Cam up **(A/N: BRIDAL STYLE!!! XD )** and started running in the way that he does… REALLY FAST! **(A/N: I'm sorry, I'm being a spaz right now. No idea why, just am. :P) **They got to the rink with two minutes to spare. Shadow put Cam down and awaited her response.

"WHAT THE HECK?!" She yelled.

"I'm really fast. Be happy, I got you here on time." Shadow said.

"Well, _duh_ you're fast. Anyway, thank you. Come on, I need to introduce you to coach." Cam said as she walked into the entrance.

Shadow followed her as she walked into a room that had 'office' on the door.

"Hi, Coach." Cam said to the person who was facing the other way in a large chair.

"Cameron, what are you doing in here? You should be getting ready for practice right now." Said the woman.

"Well, I'd like you to let an acquaintance of mine watch me practice." Cam explained.

The woman then spun around in her chair, facing Cam and Shadow. She was a short, thin human with bleached blonde hair.

"Explain yourself, child." The woman said to Cam.

"Well, he's a bit of an early riser, so I invited him to come to practice with me, since there isn't much else to do at 5 in the morning…" Cam started.

"So you simply wanted to entertain him?" The coach said. She sounded quite evil.

"No, that's not it. It's also dark this early in the morning at this time of year, and I walk here, and the streets can be dangerous when it's dark out for a girl to be walking alone, so…" Cam explained frantically.

"Ah, very good Cameron, that _is_ a good reason." The woman said. "Now, let's see here…" She said as she walked up to Shadow, looking him over.

"Very good. You may call me Mrs. White. I believe we will meet later in the day, you as my student and I as your language arts teacher. I look forward to evaluating the extent of your earlier education." Mrs. White said to Shadow. "You may come here as often as you like to watch Cameron practice."

"Now, Cameron. Get out on that ice! You will master the triple toe loop this week!" Mrs. White said in a gruff voice.

A bit later, Cam was on the ice, skating, building up speed for her jump. She turned backwards, threw her leg back, jumped and spun, then as she landed… *thud!* Shadow flinched just watching Cam. This was the seventh time she had fallen, and her coach was exploding in her face as she got up. This process was repeated again and again until Cam finally landed on her feet, despite her hand touching the ground to steady herself. Her coach looked ready to explode for real, but released Cam, as practice time was over. Shadow walked over to the locker where Cam was packing her things into her bag.

"Rough practice." Shadow commented.

"You don't know the half of it." Cam said back.

There was silence as they walked out of the rink.

"We can walk back, right?" Cam asked.

"Yeah." Shadow stated.

The walk was quiet about half of the way back, until a couple of guys stopped them on the sidewalk.

"Hey, pretty lady. What'chya doin' hangin' around with this lame-o?" One asked.

"Come with us. You'll have much more fun with us than with him." The other said, grabbing Cam and pulling her forward.

"**No.**" Cam said, shaking him off and backing up to Shadow, who stepped in front of her.

"Aww, come on. We won't do much to ya." The first said.

"She said **no**." Shadow said in an angry tone.

"We really must insist." The second said as they both pulled out switchblades, moving closer.

"Sh-Shadow, we need to get out of here, now." Cam said, terrified.

Both Cam and Shadow backed up with the men moving forward.

"Right." Shadow said.

Quickly, he picked Cam up and ran in the opposite direction, but not before one of the men threw his blade, scratching Shadow's arm. Shadow winced, but kept running as he made a large 'U turn' back to school, using a different street. Once they got back to the dorm, Shadow put Cam down.

"Thanks… *gasp* Shadow! Your hurt! Hang on, I'll get the first aid kit!" Cam said before running to her room to get her first aid kit.

When she came back, she had Shadow sit on the couch while she cleaned the wound and stopped the bleeding.

"Shadow, I'm sorry about this. I shouldn't have made you come with me." Cam said while she applied more gauze.

"It's fine." Shadow replied. "Besides, what would've happened if I wasn't there?"

The bleeding stopped, so Cam moved on to applying antibacterial ointment.

"I should have known this would happen… to tell you the truth, I've seen those guys before, but never with knives. The most they've ever done before is mugged me. But as soon as I saw those knives, I was scared stiff." Cam admitted.

"Why? Are you scared of sharp objects?" Shadow asked.

Cam moved on to bandaging Shadow's arm.

"It's not that… those knives were the exact same as the one that man used…" Cam trailed off as she finished wrapping the cloth.

"What man?" Shadow asked as Cam tied off the bandage.

"The man… who murdered my mother." Cam finished. Shadow could tell she was trying hard not to cry while she put away all of her supplies.

"It's alright for you to cry, you know…" Shadow didn't know why he just said that, but it seems like she needed to.

Cam stood up with the first aid box. "I don't cry." She said before running off to her room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 4

Half an hour later Shadow was done getting ready (and waking the other boys up, thus the half hour) and came out of the door leading to the boys' hallway to, once again, see Cam. She was in the kitchen, and appeared to be making pancakes. She was back in her uniform, her hair once again down and over her eye, and with a mask of emotionlessness **(A/N: IT'S A WORD 'CUZ I SAID IT! *adds to dictionary*)** on her face. She finished the pancakes and laid them out on the table, then did the dishes and put them back in their place. The others in the dorm filed out of their rooms one by one, and sat down to eat their pancakes. Cam just grabbed an apple and sat on one of the chairs in the living room to eat. Once everyone was done eating, they headed to their first class, math! **(A/N: They all have most of the same classes together, but will be separated for one period.)**

"Hello, class." A very attractive, lavender furred, cat with long hair said. "I'm Jannette, and this is my first year of teaching."

"Now, everyone go to the back of the room." She ordered. Once that task was done, she issued her next command.

"Now, boys, pick out wherever you want to sit. Go ahead! Pick a seat, any seat!" She said with a wink.

The boys executed this task, Shadow sitting in the back left corner of the room, Knuckles in the back right. Espio sat one seat in front of Knuckles, and Tails sat in front and dead center. Sonic and Silver sat on either side of Tails, only one row behind. Peter sat in the front left corner, with Butch and Spike behind and next to him. Storm sat in front of Shadow, with Jet next to him. An orange echidna was in the front right corner. **(A/N: There are 4 rows of 6 desks.)**

"Okay. Now for the girls." Jannette said in a monotone voice.

The girls started to move, but were interrupted.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOUR GOING? I AM ASSIGNING SEATS TO YOU, NO IFS, ANDS, OR BUTS!" Jannette yelled.

"Okayyy… You! Barbie! Your diagonal from Mr. Handsome porcupine over there." Jannette instructed to Hannah.

"Okay, YOU! The one who clearly is one of my fans due to our similar looks, between the two incredibly cute hedgehogs in the second row!" Jannette's voice was clearly changing in the middle of these sentences.

"Pinky! You go behind Mr. Cool blue there!" She instructed.

"Huge-ears, by the handsome red echidna."

"Barbie-ette #1, behind the handsome orange Echidna."

"Barbie-ette #2, beside the cool ninja chameleon."

"Chatter beak, between the adorable fox and tough crocodile."

"Now. You! Supposedly cursed one! You can sit by the handsome orange echidna." Jannette said to Cam.

"NO!" Said orange echidna yelled, standing up. "I refuse to be near that… that MONSTER!"

All attention was directed to him, then to Cam, who had turned her head down and to the side, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

"Well, if he has no objections, I _could_ put you by the _extremely_ cool black and red hedgehog back there…" Jannette offered, a bit in shock.

"… hmph." Was the best response you could get from Shadow right now. This teacher _really_ annoyed him.

Cam went and sat down, taking this as an OK. She was still a little upset about the incident a minute earlier, but she didn't show it.

"Alright! Now that that's done, everyone will fill out a questionnaire, just so I can get to know you a bit better. Be sure to write down your name at the top, because I'm going to take attendance this way, too. That is, until I memorize your names and faces." Jannette announced, handing out a big sheet of paper to the boys and a tiny one to the girls.

The Girls' sheet was something like this:

NAME:________________________

Name one thing you like.

What's your favorite color?

What's 2+2?

The boys' looked a bit like this:

NAME:_________________________

When's your birthday?

What's you astronomical sign?

What's your favorite color?

Name 10 things you like.

What's your favorite food?

What's your favorite subject?

What's your favorite sport?

Do you like purple?

Are you single?

Name 15 qualities you like in a girl.

**(A/N: Writing that was painful. .)** The girls _really_ didn't like this teacher. The boys were slightly disturbed. Everyone turned in their papers, and before Jannette could say anything more, the bell rang.

"Can you _believe_ the nerve of that teacher!? She _flirted_ with _my_ Sonic!" Amy ranted while heading to her next class.

"It's official. She's going on my hit list." Rouge agreed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry! Short chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 5

Everyone was sitting in the science room, checking out the place they'd be working in for the next year. There was so much there! Beakers, microscopes, test tubes, scales, thermometers, barometers, anything sciencey that you would find in a classroom. The only thing missing was a teacher!

Just then, a rather fat, egg-shaped man walked into the room, looking quite grumpy.

"SIT DOWN YOU HOOLIGANS!" He yelled.

Everyone quickly arranged themselves in a presentable manner, afraid of what the teacher might do to them.

"That's better. Your teacher, Ms. Moffet the frog, has had an unfortunate accident and has taken on brain damage. She will not be able to teach for the rest of the year, at least. And because this school is too cheap to hire a substitute teacher for the year, I was given the job of helping your rather small brains develop. As you may or may not know, my name is Dr. Eggman. I am the Vice-Principle at this school, and as such I am in charge of all disciplinary actions at the academy. I do not recommend that you misbehave in this class, for if you do, you will be severely punished. Now, move to the back of the room, so I can give you your seats." Eggman lectured.

There were 10 desks there, each seating two people. The room was narrow and long, so there were 5 rows of 2 desks.

"Okay. Starting with the column on my right, the front desk is Peter the Porcupine and Hannah the Hedgehog. Behind them, Butch and Spike the Crocodiles. Then it's Espio the Chameleon and Kevin the Echidna. Blaze the Cat and Silver the Hedgehog are after them, and the last desk is Cameron the Echidna and Shadow the Hedgehog. The column on my left is Knuckles the Echidna and Rouge the Bat, Followed by Sonic the Hedgehog and Amy Rose the Hedgehog. Then it's Wave the Swallow and Tails the Fox, followed by Jet the Hawk and Storm the Albatross. The last table holds Anna the Rabbit and Montana the Cat." Eggman instructed.

Once everyone was seated in their new seats, Eggman continued speaking.

"Now, take a good long look at the person you're sitting next to, because they're going to be your lab partner for the rest of the year." Eggman said, a hint of evil in his voice.

The class was then given their (rather large) books, and told to read all of chapter 1. The class went by in silence, that is, until the bell rang. Everyone rushed out of the room as fast as they could without getting in trouble for running.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 6

The next class was gym **(A/N: DON'T TELL ME IT'S TOO EARLY! I HAD GYM FIRST PERIOD! But now that semester's over and I can get on with my life. **** ) **Vector was posing in the middle of the gym like a moron. **(A/N: Sorry, Vector fans!)** Once everyone was standing in the same general area staring at him, he started talking in a 'tough' way.

"Yo, class." Vector said to grab their attention, that he already had. "This is gym and I'm gonna be your teacher. Go grab your gym clothes from those boxes, girls in the pink, guys in the blue. Then, follow the signs to your locker room and get dressed into those clothes, and get back here. Anyone who takes longer than 5 minutes getting dressed will have to run as many laps as the minutes they take over that time. GO!"

No one really rushed, especially Espio. 5 minutes later, almost everyone was out, save for Hannah, Anna, and Montana. 5 minutes after that, they still weren't out.

Meanwhile, Mrs. White decided to pay a visit.

"Hello Vector, it has come to my attention that you are going to be instructing my skater in this class, and I would like to point out some guidelines for her levels of physical activity." Mrs. White said in a polite manner.

"Cameron! Go outside now! Run 12 laps around the track!" Mrs. White ordered.

"But that's three miles, and it's freezing out! All I have on is my t-shirt and shorts! **(A/N: Yes, people. She's wearing undergarments, too. XP) **Cam protested.

"NO BUTS! You will regularly travel that distance on skates in an ice skating rink in nothing more than the equivalent of a leotard and a piece of cloth you can barely call a skirt! NOW MOVE!" Mrs. White yelled back.

Cam let out a huff, but ran out the door towards the track/football field anyway. Mrs. White just shot Vector a look that said something along the lines of 'well?'

"Right." Vector nodded. "Everyone else, do the same! 12 laps around the track, now!"

Just then, the Barbie dolls walked in, and let out a squeal, along with a series of fast-paced phrases. Some of those included:

"EEK! TWELVE LAPS?! IN THESE SHOES?!"

"BUT I JUST FIXED MY HAIR!"

"I MIGHT BREAK A NAIL!"

Nonetheless, the class moved outside, slowly. Once they got to the track, Cam was going by where they were standing.

"What lap you on?!" Vector asked.

Cam kept on running, but just before she passed by, she yelled: "Fifth!" and ran by.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Vector asked. "Get moving!"

Half the class groaned at this, but all of them began moving on the track. The barbies were walking, and Amy, Rouge, and Wave were jogging. All of the boys were running, but Sonic and Shadow were racing in front, followed by Espio, Silver, and Blaze, then Knuckles and Kevin. Tails, Storm, and Jet were just behind them. Peter was just in front of the jogging girls, and Spike and Butch were trotting on either side of him. Cam was about to lap the Barbies and go on to her sixth lap by the time everyone had spaced out in this fashion.

20 minutes later, almost everyone had finished, save for the barbies, who hadn't finished their first lap. Vector simply shook his head, and called everyone inside to get dressed. Everyone had time to shower and such, then it was time for lunch!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 7

The lunchroom was crowded, but the tables were pretty much decided on at the dinner. Cam sat alone again, as the rest of the gang gathered at their table, lunches in hand.

"Why the heck did Vector make us do that?!" Amy ranted.

"Because he's an idiot who is too proud to loose to that woman." Espio explained.

"Cameron must have it tough, with skating and school and being bullied and all." Wave inquired.

"Speaking of which…" Tails said as he directed everyone's attention to the other side of the room.

Cam was pinned to the wall again, and Peter was up in her face. (**A/N: I just scrolled back to look at the previous Cam torture scene, and I had to edit it a bit. Turns out for a little while I was calling Peter, "Patrick". Oops.)**

"You're the reason we had to run laps today!" Peter accused her.

"No, I'm not. My coach made me run laps, yours made you run laps following my coach's example. I am not responsible for the way my coach trains me or the way our gym teacher acts." Cam explained calmly. She had a defiant look on her face, she was getting some of her emotion back.

"You're a liar!" Hannah accused. She had to exercise her power, after all.

"You talked back again, too. You know how I feel right now, don't you?" Peter said with an evil smile.

"Angry that you got beaten by a girl?" Cam had a smirk on her face by then.

"WHY YOU LITTLE-" Peter cut himself off as he wrapped his hand around Cam's neck, lifting her off of the ground and out of Butch and Spike's grasps.

Blaze gasped and covered her mouth.

"Neither of them have ever taken a quarrel that far before." Silver explained. His eyes were really wide at the sight before him.

Cam gritted her teeth and was holding onto Peter's arm with both of hers, trying desperately to pry him off. She was gasping for air while Peter used his free arm to punch her face. The sonic gang had already made up their minds about what side they were taking and jumped into action. Blaze, Rouge, and Wave moved in front of the Babies, making sure they didn't do anything while Shadow and Espio ganged up on Peter, knocking him off of Cam. Knuckles, Silver, and Jet kept Butch away and Sonic, Tails, and Storm did the same with Spike. Amy came forward and checked on Cam, helping her breathe and such.

"What- *gasp* are- *gasp* you doing?" Cam asked as best she could.

"What does it look like we're doing, silly? We're helping you!" Amy said with a smile.

Peter recovered from the blow he received and brushed himself off.

"You're going to be sorry you did that!" Peter threatened. "Just wait. This girl will destroy your lives! She's a monster, a cursed monster!"

"Yeah yeah yeah, cursed monster, blah, blah, blah, Who cares?" Knuckles commented.

"It seems as though you have been practicing the more monstrous behavior." Espio pointed out.

"You'll see!" Peter yelled, pointing at Cam, who was near the exit to go back to the dorm, "She'll hurt every one of you in due time!"

After that last yell, the gang was out the door, headed towards the dorm.

When they all got back, Amy had a realization. "Guys, we left all of our stuff back there."

Everyone (who was normally showing emotion) gave an 'OH CRAP' look and ran out the door to go back and grab their things. That left Cam, Shadow, and Espio.

"I'll get both of your things." Espio said with a sigh and left the room.

"Well, then. I guess it's time for me to return the favor, then." Shadow stated, leaving to find the first aid kit.

"No, that's okay, really. I can do it myself. I've done it before." Cam argued, holding both her hands in front of her.

Shadow arched an eyebrow at this statement. "Then I suppose you can see the place where the back of your head is bleeding with a mirror?"

Cam blinked a couple of times, processing the information. She put her hand on the back of her head and…

"OWW!!!" Cam pulled her hand away quickly.

"That still doesn't answer my question." Shadow sweatdropped at Cam's actions.

"…"

"Well?"

"…no..."

"What was that?"

"...no..."

"I can't hear you…"

"NO! Alright?! I can't see the back of my head, even with a mirror! Happy now?!"

"Yes. Now sit down." Shadow instructed, pointing towards the couch.

"Fine…" Cam mumbled as she did as she was told.

Shadow sat down next to her and made her turn her head towards him. **(A/N: Cam was sitting on Shadow's right side. She was also being held up with Peter's right hand and punched with his left, making all of her facial injuries primarily on the right cheek. The way she was sitting required her to turn her head towards Shadow so he could see the wounds. End of explanation.)** He then began cleaning off the wounds.

"Why do you put up with being beaten up like this?" He asked.

"If I try to fight back, I only get hurt worse."

"So? Eventually they would stop."

"That's not it. Because of their high social position, the teachers won't touch them if they do anything to me. If I fought back, who knows what could happen? It all depends on how creative Peter and Hannah are feeling that day."

"That would stop too, once you had proof that they were the ones beating you up."

"Still…"

"That's not all, is it?"

"No…"

"Then why else?"

"I want to prove them wrong."

"What?"

"They're always saying that I'm this horrible, cursed monster, who does nothing but hurt people and destroy lives. I guess I figured… that if I kept my distance from people… and never fought back… and didn't show any emotion… that I'd be able to prove them wrong, but…"

"But?"

"But then Kevin came along. He asked if he could be my friend and I was so happy, you know? Someone who I could show my true colors around. But on that day, the accident happened. I tried to go see him at the hospital, but his family had gotten word of the rumors and wouldn't let me in. They even blocked out my cards and gifts…"

"So he thought you didn't care."

"Pretty much… since he told me he never wanted to see my face again, I took it seriously and started avoiding him, and covering my face if I had to go into his line of sight. Anything just so he won't look at me like that again…"

"Like what?"

"With so much hatred… I can see it in his eyes every time… It's one thing if Peter, Hannah, and their groups look at me like that, I mean, that's normal. But with him… he looked at me with different eyes before that… softer eyes… the difference is just too great for me to handle."

"So that gave them justification for beating you up more?"

"Yeah…"

Little did the two know that everyone else was outside of the door, listening in on the conversation. Tails was recording it, too. :P

Shadow had nearly finished with her face, now he just had to put on the band-aids. Remember that deep down somewhere in Cam's brain, her girl self is freaking out that a boy is actually touching her face in a gentle way. Shadow put on the band-aids and moved closer to make sure he had covered everything. They both then looked at each other and realized how close their faces were, both practically jumping back and trying to hide their blushes.

"Now face the other way." Shadow directed.

Cam did as she was told and looked the other way, and Shadow got to work.

"I wonder if everyone's alright… they've been away an awfully long time…" Cam wondered out loud.

As if on cue, everyone walked into the room, acting as if they heard nothing.

"Hi, everyone." Cam greeted. "Thanks for the help back there."

"Stand still." Shadow scolded.

"Don't mention it." Sonic said with a thumbs-up.

"That's what friends do, right?" Amy said with a smile.

"Friends?" Cam asked.

"Yeah, friends." Blaze joined in. "And good ones, too."

"Okay then. From now on, all of you will have my friendship. This time, I'll get it right. I'll protect you all, no matter what." Cam said with a determined look on her face.

"You protect us? I think it's gonna work the other way." Wave said.

"Still. It's my responsibility now. I took this oath with Kevin, too. He obviously gets upset when he sees me, so I avoid him. But I never stop caring about him, and if he ever got hurt again, I'd never forgive myself. The same goes for you guys. There's always going to be something I can do." Cam said, still determined.

Shadow finished wrapping up Cam's head and took the first aid box back to where it came from.

"Then it's a deal. We'll all take care of each other." Tails said happily.

Sonic, Jet, and Silver all put there hands together in the center of what would become a circle. Everyone else joined in and had their hands in the middle.

"1, 2, 3!" Sonic said as their hands bobbed up and down.

A cheer from the more enthusiastic of the group went up just as the bell rang, so everyone grabbed their bags and ran off to social studies. **(A/N: BOOOOOO!!! I hate that class. I'm not good with dates! DX)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 8

When everyone had gotten there, the door was shut and locked, and the lights inside the room were off. There weren't any signs on the door, and they had confirmed that this was the right room. Cam stayed as far away as she could from the 'popular group' and Kevin at the same time. She ended up turning her back on everyone so it could be possible.

"I don't get this. Why isn't the teacher here yet?" Jet asked.

"He's probably too busy having lunch or something." Sonic did his pose where he stood there and wiped his nose.

"I am doing nothing of the sort. Can't a teacher get his coffee without being bickered at?" A voice said from behind everyone, save for Cam.

The teacher was a male ferret. He was about medium height and had dark brown fur. He appeared to be very athletic, despite being on the thin side, as ferrets are. In his hand he held a cup **(A/N: coughjugcough) **of coffee. He unlocked the door and let the students file in.

"Pick any seats ya want. I don't care. You can sit anywhere for the rest of the school year, too." The ferret said. "My name is Mr. Blackston. My assistant for the day should be here any minute now…"

A fat man, much resembling Eggman stepped into the room.

"Hello, class. My name is Dr. Omeletman. Before you ask, I am the elder brother of Dr. Eggman. I am your principal here, although I will drop in on this class quite often, as I am a bit of a history enthusiast." He then took a look around the classroom.

"Hmm?! Three echidnas… AHA! That's right! Cameron, Knuckles, Kevin; come up here if you would."

All three were shocked that this guy knew their names already, but still walked up to him, Cam staying in Kevin's blind spot.

"You three can all read Echidnian text and translate it, right?"

He received a nod from all three.

"I've done my fair share of research on you three! You see, there are three branches of your family tree. Knuckles, you are part of the main branch. The trunk, if you will. Kevin and Cameron, you are from opposite cadet branches of the tree. Passed down from these lines are Echidnian words that only the chosen members of the branch can understand. I discovered that you three are the chosen of your branches. Now, we have some ancient Echidnian documents that were donated to us, but have yet to be translated. We have also come to knowledge that these documents were written using all three secret texts. So. In return for translating these documents, you will be excused from all of your history exams, and you may learn more about your history and yourselves. So, are you in?"

"You got it." Cam responded with a nod.

"…" Kevin was looking doubtful.

"…" Knuckles was just confused.

Cam looked at Knuckles and Kevin, a look of concern gracing her features.

"Umm… If it's any help… you won't have to directly work with me… and if we can get out of exams it would help our grades out in the long run if we ever run into any rough patches in this subject… there'd be a lot less studying to do too… and since exams are such a large part of our grades the worst grade we'd probably be able to get is a 'B'…"

More silence from the two male Echidnas.

"Well, I'll give you two some time to think about it. Please make your decisions by the end of class. As for you Miss Cameron…" Omeletman dug into the suitcase he was carrying and handed Cam a stack of copies.

"This is your portion of the project. The whole thing's divided into thirds, but provided those two join you you'll have to label the words you don't know and cycle the stacks around. Get started, now. I'm going to explain the basics of this class to everyone. Back to your seats, you three."

Cam, Knuckles, and Kevin did as they were told while everyone else stared at them.

"Now, then. In this class, Mr. Blackston will mainly give you guided notes to do in class out of your books." Omeletman announced as he passed out the books. "There will be a quiz over every section of the reading, and a test over each chapter. You will also be given a year-long assignment, rather than shorter projects, and work in groups. By the way, the translation project can serve as this project as well, Knuckles and Kevin. There will be no additional homework in this class, either. Now, if you will excuse me, I must be off."

Omeletman walked out the door.

"Okay, so you get a free-day today. Knock yourselves out." Mr. Blackston concluded the class.

Amy, Rouge, Wave, and Blaze walked over to where Cam was sitting, looking over the entire pack of pages.

"So Cam… I take it that you're not very accustomed to social life, are you?" Amy asked.

Cam looked up from her work and put it in her bag. "No… I guess not."

"Well, then. We have a proposal for you." Blaze said.

"What is it?" Cam asked.

"It's a three phase plan, really. First, we evaluate your social knowledge and behavior, as well as your wardrobe. Second, if these things still leave something to be desired, we'll help you with them. Finally-" Wave was cut of by Rouge.

"We have a GNO and a sleepover! That includes going to the mall. You'd better be ready for a makeover, hon."

"Wha- really?" Cam was stunned.

"Yep. We'll use that opportunity to acquaint you with our friend Cream, too. It's going to be SO much fun! How's this weekend?!" Amy was getting more hyper by the second.

"That's fine by me. I need to get my skates sharpened anyways. We just can't stay up past 10 PM, I have practice in the morning. Speaking of which, how'd you guys like to come to the skating rink with me after school? I have an hour-long practice session then, but you can use that time to rent some skates, maybe even the guys can come." Cam offered.

"Sounds great!" The other girls responded.

"Why do I have a feeling we were brought into their conversation?" Tails asked as the guys watched the girls talk.

"Most likely because we were." Silver said as the girls walked over to where the boys were sitting.

"Guess what, guys?" Wave asked.

"I'VE BEEN DECLARED THE FASTEST LIVING THING IN THE HISTORY OF MOBIUS?!" Sonic and Jet blurted out at the same time, glared at each other, then turned back to the conversation.

"Umm… no." Blaze said, sweatdropping.

"We're all going to the skating rink after school today!" Amy announced.

"There's no way I'm going to some sissy ice rink!" Knuckles said, making a proud face.

"Well suck it up, Knuckie. You're going weather you like it or not." Rouge glared at Knuckles, putting her hands on her hips.

Knuckles was fuming at the nickname, but turned around, counted to 10, and thought of the consequences of destroying the school by trying to get back at Rouge.

"Fine…" He said reluctantly.

Rouge just smiled. "Good."

"It'll be fun! You don't have to do any tricks or anything like that. You could probably even race! Given that you don't damage anything, including the skates." Cam said.

Mr. Blackston called the attention to himself one last time before class ended.

"Okay, you guys are going to the auditorium next, and you'll be there for the next two periods of the day. That is all." Mr. Blackston finished as the bell rang.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 9

All of the students in the class went to the auditorium, and sat in the front rows of seats. A female, black-furred anteater, male, dark colored german shepherd and a female blonde bat walked onto the stage. The anteater was splattered with paint, the german shepherd was glaring at everyone, and the bat was WAAAAY too happy.

"Hello, everyone! My name is Mrs. Batson, and I'm the choir teacher here at the high school!" The blonde bat called out with a smile.

"Hi. I'm Miss Munroe, and I'm the art teacher." The paint-splattered anteater greeted.

"And my name is SURGE. I teach study hall!" The german shepherd yelled. **(A/N: For some reason I imagine him with a Buzz Lightyear/Kronk voice.)** He continued the speech.

"This current period would regularly be study hall, so I will explain the study hall RULES. In study hall, you DO NOT TALK. YOU DO NOT PASS NOTES. YOU STAY IN THE SEAT ASSIGNED TO YOU, AND YOU REMAIN WORKING AT ALL TIMES. But this is a special day, so your study hall time will be used for class selection purposes."

Mrs. Batson picked up the speech at this point.

"Each of you will perform in front of the class as a try-out for choir. Unlike most choir classes, our performances include a series of acts from the individuals or groups formed within the class, and are featured in our concerts as well as the entire class performances. Those who are deemed better for art will take that class. Choir and art both take place what would normally be next period."

"AND TRYING OUT IS MANDATORY!" Surge added in.

"You'll have 10 minutes to figure out what song you're singing. You may use an instrument if you wish. If you wish to audition in a group, that is also acceptable. Talk to us when you figure out what you'll be doing." Miss Munroe concluded.

As soon as she finished, the class went into an uproar, with people talking to each other about what they're doing and freaking out that they have to do it. That is, except Cam. She was already talking to the teachers and telling them her information. She walked back, but was stopped by Peter and Hannah.

"So, giving up already, Cameron?" Peter said with a smirk.

"No. I just knew what I was going to sing and play right away." Cam glared at the two.

"Wow. You've got guts. I'd be too embarrassed to go up there with so many bandages on my head." Hannah giggled.

By then, Sonic and Co. had noticed the conversation, and were moving to defend Cam, but were stopped by a reassuring look she gave them.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Cam said. She began unwrapping the bandages from around her head and pulling them off her face. To everyone's surprise, all of her injuries were gone! Not even any scars! "Thanks for the tip, Hannah." Cam smirked as she went between Peter and Hannah, shoving them with her shoulders as she went by.

Once she got to the group, she explained.

"I heal really fast. No idea why, I just do I guess. So… what songs are you guys singing?" Cam changed the subject.

The group then went into discussion about what they were going to sing and/or play. Before they knew it, the ten minutes had passed and it was time to perform!

"Alright. First up is Cameron singing Fairytale by Sara Bareilles!" Mrs. Batson said too enthusiastically.

Cam walked up onto the stage and pulled up the piano with a microphone mounted on it. She began playing and eventually singing:

_Cinderella's on her bedroom floor  
She's got a crush on the guy at the liquor store  
Cause Mr. Charming don't come home anymore  
And she forgets why she came here  
Sleeping Beauty's in a foul mood  
For shame she says  
None for you dear prince, I'm tired today  
I'd rather sleep my whole life away than have you keep me from dreaming_

Cause I don't care for your fairytales  
You're so worried 'bout the maiden though you know  
She's only waiting on the next best thing  
Next best thing

Snow White is doing dishes again cause  
What else can you do  
With seven itty-bitty men?  
Sends them to bed and she calls up a friend  
Says will you meet me at midnight? Oh  
The tall blonde lets out a cry of despair says  
Would have cut it myself if I knew men could climb hair  
I'll have to find another tower somewhere and keep away from the windows

Cause I don't care for your fairytales  
You're so worried 'bout the maiden though you know  
She's only waiting on the next best thing  
Next best thing

Once upon a time in a faraway kingdom  
Man made up a story said that I should believe him  
Go and tell your white knight that he's handsome in hindsight  
But I don't want the next best thing  
So I sing, I hold my head down and I break these walls round me  
Can't take no more of your fairytale love

I don't care for your fairytales  
You're so worried bout the maiden though you know she's only waiting  
On the next best thing

I don't care  
I don't care  
Worried bout the maiden though you know she's only waiting  
Spent her whole life being graded on the sanctity of patience  
And a dumb appreciation  
But the story needs some mending and a better happy ending  
Cause I don't want the next best thing

No, no I don't want the next best thing

A mixture of cheers and boos echoed through the large room. Cam simply bowed and busied herself with putting the piano back.

"Cameron, stand center stage, please." Miss Munroe directed.

Cam did as she was told and the teachers began talking it over to her. **(A/N:LIKE ON AMERICAN IDOL!)**

"That was WONDERFUL Cameron!" Mrs. Batson squealed.

"I must agree." Miss Munroe nodded.

"Lovely." Was Surge's only comment.

"You are definitely in choir!" Mrs. Batson concluded.

Cam gave a small thank you, nodded, and jumped off stage **(A/N: into the part where there was the seating area, not the pit. XP )**

Just before Mrs. Batson could announce the next person performing, the fire alarm went off and the sprinklers started spraying water everywhere. Most of the class went into a panic, covering papers, bags, and books before they got too wet. Amid the chaos, the teachers went into the mob and herded all of the panicking students out of the emergency exit.

Once everyone was in the verified area, the teachers took attendance and sent the sheet off to the main checkpoint via robot. They then began discussing what happened.

"Who do you think pulled the fire alarm?" Miss Munroe asked, wet paint lines running down to replace the splatters.

"It was probably a senior prank." Mrs. Batson suggested.

"WHY THOSE LITTLE-" Surge was cut off by a paper being shoved into his face by the messenger robot.

He took the paper and looked over it while the Barbies, Amy, and Rouge worried over their hair and makeup, and Blaze, Wave, Cam, and the boys focused on ringing their clothes out. Surge cleared his throat and got everyone's attention.

"Alright, here's a status report. The seniors attempted a prank involving fireworks, a teacher's desk, and a lot of jelly. The prank malfunctioned and set off the sprinklers and alarm. The main school building was the only one affected. School is going to be cancelled until the building is cleaned up, which should be about three days due to water damage and the large amounts of jelly. Students may leave campus when given permission by their dorm overseer or another teacher. Hm?"

Surge was presented with another note by the messenger robot. He read it aloud.

"Cameron, this is from Mrs. White. She says that practice will take place at the normal time today, and also says to remind you that you're going to be performing what part of the show you have figured out today, so you need to pick out a dress."

Everyone was looking at Cam now, (except Kevin. XP) who's eyes widened.

"CRAP!" Cam slapped her own forehead. "I _knew_ I forgot something!"

"What is it, Cam?" Amy asked.

"Uh… I forgot to buy a dress." Cam said, scratching the back of her head.

"Do you have an old one you can use?" Blaze asked, interested.

"Um… no." Cam hung her head in the anime style.

"You've performed before, haven't you?" Wave asked, tilting her head.

"Actually, this season is my competition debut, so…" Cam trailed off.

"Well, you DO know what this means, right?" Rouge asked the group of girls.

"SHOPPING!!!!!!!!" Amy, Rouge, and Wave squealed. Blaze joined in too, but it was more of a half-hearted, sarcastic cheer.

Cam was scared. Very scared. Still happy, but scared.

Rouge and Wave grabbed Cam and Blaze by the hands, and Amy pushed them from behind back to the dorm to get changed.

"And tomorrow we can do wardrobe checks too!" Amy added, earning a groan from Cam and Blaze. They were starting to hate this shopping adventure already.

The boys from the dorm followed silently behind, but very slowly. They were very freaked out by this whole ordeal.

Once back at the dorm, Amy, Rouge, and Wave convinced the boys to come along too. (Their argument was that shopping would take up all the time they had in between now and time for Cam to go practice.) Following that, Cam instructed everyone to dress warm, and they all departed to their rooms to get dressed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 10

The boys were changed in less than 5 minutes, as was Cam, Blaze, and Wave. Cam was munching on another apple **(A/N: I'm sorry about Cam's apple eating habits, I just can't eat whole apples [it's a LOOOOONG story] so I find it kind of cool. ^.^; )** and another 5 minutes passed. Cam, Blaze, and Wave exchanged glances with one another and gave a brief nod, walking into the girl's hallway.

Outside with the boys, pounding, yelling, and screaming could be heard from the other side of the door. A few yells they heard were:

"YOU'RE HAIR IS FINE!"

"I DON'T CARE! PICK ONE!"

"NO I WILL NOT CHANGE MY OUTFIT!"

And finally…

"JUST HURRY IT UP ALREADY!!!"

This time, all of the girls emerged from the door to the hallway. Rouge and Amy looked grumpy, and Wave, Blaze, and Cam looked just plain annoyed.

The boys had already gotten permission from Vector for everyone to leave the dorm, so they set off with Cam in the lead.

"I called Cream." Amy announced. "She said she'd get Charmy and meet up with us."

"Good thing we're going right by their school, then." Cam added.

It was true, there they were, about 10 feet away from the gates of the middle school. They entered, and saw Cream and Charmy on the playground. **(A/N: THEY HAVE ONE BECAUSE RECESS IS AWESOME! XD )** When they approached the two, Cam stayed back a bit from the group. The other middle schoolers noticed her, giving her weird looks and whispering thing to one another. Soon a porcupine and two dogs approached her.

"You're Cameron the Echidna, right?" The porcupine asked.

"What. You don't remember me? Your right, I am. I know you, too. You're Peter's little brother. Just so you know, I've broken free of his hold. You and your big brother, or any of your flunkies, aren't going to push me around anymore. You got that?" Cam responded with some venom in her voice.

Cream and Charmy had joined the group's ranks, and all attention was focused on Cam, who was glaring at the slightly-smaller porcupine. He looked uneasy for a second, but an idea popped into his evil little brain. He put a panicked look on his face.

"AAAAAH!!!!!!! THE DEMON IS BACK! SHE'S GOING TO EAT MEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" Peter's little brother ran around in small circles a few times, then straight into a large crowd of students, flailing his arms around in a crazy manner.

"Whatever. Let's just go." Cam was irritated. She walked in front of the group again towards the skate shop, leading them all there.

Cream sped up her pace and walked by Cam now, staring up at her.

"Hello, Miss Cam. Nice to meet you. I'm Cream the Rabbit." She introduced.

Cam snapped out of her daze and smiled back at the small rabbit.

"Hi, Cream. Nice to meet you. I'm Cameron the Echidna. I'm glad you could join us today." Cam greeted back.

The rest of the girls walked up to join them.

"So Cam… what are you skating to?" Blaze asked.

"We need to have some idea of what we're looking for, after all." Amy added.

"Along with what makeup to use." Rouge noted.

"And the accessories that should go with the outfit." Wave pointed out.

Cam blinked. "Uhh… makeup?" She looked a tad bit worried.

"Yes, MAKEUP, silly." Amy laughed.

"H-Honestly, I-I don't think it would do much, I mean, um… there r-really isn't that much to work with, right?" Cam stuttered.

"You'll see." Rouge and Wave said with an evil smile at the same time.

"We're off subject, guys." Blaze pointed out.

"Oh! Right. For the short program, well… coach hasn't told me yet. She just says it has a Spanish theme. I've learned most of my routine, I just have to put it to music." Cam explained.

"That's strange. What could it be?" Cream wondered out loud.

"We'll probably find out today when I perform for my sponsors." Cam concluded.

"So do you know what you're doing for your long program?" Wave asked.

"Uhh…yeah… it's… um… Romeo and Juliet…" Cam mumbled the last part.

"What was that?" Blaze asked.

"…Romeo and Juliet…" Cam spoke a little louder.

"Speak up, Cam! We can't hear you!" Amy announced rather loudly.

"I'm skating to Romeo and Juliet…" Cam blushed.

There was a group of collective 'AWWWWW's from the group of girls.

"Hey, look! Here we are!" Cam pointed to the large skating shop/boutique about 20 feet in front of the group, trying to change the subject.

The group entered the shop, and while the others looked around Cam went up to the main counter. Behind it sat a female polar bear.

"Hi, Flurry. Could you get Blizzard to sharpen my blades while I look around with some friends?" Cam asked.

Flurry let out a squeal and pulled Cam into a bear hug from over the counter.

"Of course I can! What's more important is that you have FRIENDS! Oh, Cam! I'm so happy for you!" Flurry squealed while hugging the life out of Cam.

"Flurry… can't… Breathe!" Cam choked out.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Flurry said while releasing Cam from her death grip.

Cam sweatdropped while getting out her skates.

"No problem, Flurry." She said as she handed the skates over.

"These'll be good as new by the time you're done. Go on, now. Have fun with your friends!" Flurry shooed Cam off.

When Cam got back, the rest of the girls were waiting for her while the guys were amusing themselves by looking at the hockey gear.

As soon as she had made her way within an arms length of the group of girls, she was dragged into the epic amounts of dresses hanging on racks and caught up in a storm of chatter.

Over with the boys…

"You could not pay me enough to be that girl right now." Jet sweatdropped.

The other males looked up and nodded in agreement.

Back with the girls…

Cam just stood there in a daze while being pulled over to random places having dresses held up to her to be approved. Once a huge pile had been made, she was shoved into the dressing rooms with it to try them all on. **(A/N: I'm being lazy, use your imaginations!)**

After much debate, the dress for the short program was chosen. It was a fiery red dress with a LOW v-neck covered up by fabric that matched Cam's fur. Around the neckline and up the brown fabric was a series of randomly placed sequins that caught the light and made the dress sparkle. The dress hugged her waist and then fanned out into a mid-thigh length skirt. A bit of bright yellow stuck out at the bottom, accompanying more sequins. The underside of the skirt was the same bright yellow that stuck out from the bottom of the red layer. Her sleeves were made of red sheer material that went all the way down her arm and tapered off to a loop around her middle finger, and the whole thing was covered in GLITTER. Lots of glitter.

Cam then got dragged off to the makeup station, where she was refused the right to look at a mirror until her hair and makeup were completely done. Just as they finished, Cam's cell phone rang, emitting the screeching violin ringtone often used in horror movies.

"Hello, coach." Cam said, answering her phone.

"Cameron, I've decided to tell you the song you're doing for your short program so that you can prepare your artistry accordingly. The song is…"

A resonating "WHAT?!" Could be heard throughout the store, much similar to her reaction when Shadow told her it was an hour later than she thought it was. At this, the guys came back to see what all the commotion was about, most of them suddenly freezing in place and staring at Cam. Not that she noticed.

"How can you keep that from me?" She argued.

"You'll thank me in due time. Speaking of things you'll thank me for, I have another thing to tell you. At the request of your sponsors, I've invited the rest of the school here on a mandatory field trip to come and watch you perform. The performance will also be videoed for use in science class as a physics project. Have fun! I'll see you in a few hours!" And with that, Mrs. White hung up, knowing the likely response anyway.

Cam simply walked over to a pillow, grabbed it, and screamed as loud as she could into it (without getting any makeup on it) and walked back as if nothing had happened.

"So… what's up?" Blaze asked.

Cam sighed and began explaining. "Well, first coach decided to tell me the song I was doing the short program to. It's BOLERO!"

"I don't get it. What's the big deal? It's just a song." Sonic shrugged.

"**Just** a song? No, no, no. Bolero was made a legendary song by the pair skaters Torvill and Dean. They got **straight sixes** on they're artistry! A perfect score! They did it for the first time in Olympic history! It has NEVER been matched! That is their song. It's untouchable!" Cam ranted.

"And that isn't the worst part, believe it or not." She continued. "Apparently my sponsors wanted to see how I'd fare under pressure from a crowd when I'm not too confident. So, being the evil mastermind she is, Coach has declared a MANDATORY field trip for the entire school to come watch me perform TONIGHT. AND I'll be videotaped for physics class. My life is now officially over." Cam concluded, hanging her head back over the top of her chair.

"Well, if it will make you feel any better…" Amy started, "you now have permission to look in a mirror."

Cam looked up again at this, finally noticing the boys staring at her. Feeling awkward in such a short skirt and under the stares, she turned her head and caught a glimpse at herself in the mirror, freezing and looking more closely. She was stunned.

"I… I look… wow… I had no idea…" Was all she could get out.

Her makeup was fairly simple, in the sense of makeup. She had on eyeliner, mascara, and red eyeshadow that matched her dress. She also had lip gloss on, with little rhinestones on the corners of her eyes. Her hair was pushed out of her face and pulled up into a bun, with a red rose stuck into the side of it.

As Cam stared at herself in the mirror, Flurry and her husband Blizzard the Polar Bear, a much taller, well built creature, came back to give Cam her skates. Flurry squealed and ran up to Cam, hugging the living daylights out of her again.

"Cam! You look AMAZING! Just imagine if you dressed like this every day! You wouldn't be picked on as much, I'm sure!" Flurry concluded the statement by putting Cam down and letting her breathe.

"Actually, I think I'd be subject to even worse names than they call me now. Oh, wait. That'll happen later today. Never mind…" Cam responded.

Blizzard then walked over to her and gave her a strong pat on the back.

"I remember when you were just 5 years old and came in here, getting your first pair of skates to start your lessons. You're growing up, kiddo."

"Thanks, Blizzard." Cam said.

"Well, what are you waiting for?! Go try on some more for your long program!" Flurry insisted, shooing Cam and the rest of the girls off.

It took a little less time to decide on the next dress, it was the third one Cam tried on. The same process ensued, including being dragged off to do hair and makeup. The whole process took about 40 minutes.

Cam ended up in a lilac dress that looked like one Juliet would have worn. The main part was lilac, with a darker purple area starting right underneath the fitted chest and going down to the start of the skirt, which was outlined in a thin strip of the same dark purple. Criss-crossed across the dark purple stripe was a gold ribbon, giving it the look of a noble. The sleeves were short and made of the lilac material, with gold embroidery on the top and bottom of both the sleeves and across the bottom of the mid-thigh length skirt. Unlike the last dress, the area under the skirt was the same color as the top of the skirt, minus the fancy embroidery. The back of the dress arched down in a 'V' shape, being once again filled in with the fur-colored fabric and outlined in a design with gold embroidery.

Her makeup was the same, only the eyeshadow was replaced with a dark purple color and there was no longer any rhinestones in the corners of her eyes, but instead gold glitter. Her hair was once again pulled back, only now the bun was encased in gold netting. The outfit was once again approved, despite Cam's discomfort with being in such a short skirt, and she went back to the changing room and put her normal practice attire back on, even wiping off the makeup. They brought the newfound items up to the checkout counter and Cam paid, retrieving a bag of the items, her skates, and another large hug. The group then set off for the skating rink.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 11

When they arrived at the rink, the rest of the school hadn't showed up quite yet. They used this opportunity for Cam to get dressed and warm up while everyone else rented skates and lockers for later. When they walked into the main rink area, there was still a lot of time left before it was time for Cam to go on. A few random people could be seen going counter-clockwise around the rink. Sonic grinned at Jet and Shadow.

"I'll race ya! First one 50 times around the rink wins!" He stepped out onto the ice, falling flat on his face. As suppressed laughter went through those watching, Sonic sprang up, having retrieved his balance once again.

"Starting now!" He skated off.

"H-HEY!" Jet yelled, stumbling onto the ice and racing after Sonic.

Shadow shook his head, and started going after Sonic like he'd been on the ice many times before. **(A/N: Using those rocket skates finally paid off, eh Shadow?)**

As they raced the others slowly filed on. Cream clung to the wall, and Charmy flat out didn't skate, flying above the ice, and encouraging Cream to let go of the wall.

"Come on, Cream!" He said. "Just let go! You'll get better balance if you go faster! There are less bumps further out, too!"

Cream shook her head. "No, I'm sure I'll fall."

Charmy sighed. "Then ask someone who can skate to help you. Here, just start by having one hand on the wall, and one hand in mine." Charmy offered her his hand, grinning.

"W-Well… okay…" She took Charmy's hand, shuffling along the wall slightly faster.

---

Meanwhile, Blaze had already fallen several times, and was covered in ice, slush, and terribly cold water. Silver stood by her, helping her up each time she fell.

"This is stupid. Where's the exit?" She grumbled to no one in particular.

"Just try again, Blaze. I can help you if you'd like…" Silver offered.

Blaze looked at him and sighed at him. "I'll only let you help me if you help me to the exit. My butt is sore, I'm way too cold, and I'm covered in _water._"

Silver looked slightly disappointed, but helped her up nonetheless. He knew Blaze was tolerant of water, but Ice and slush? And in the temperature they were in? No way. He grabbed her by the upper arm, helping her along. Her skate went straight into a rut, making her turn awkwardly and go off-balance. She grabbed onto Silver, who grabbed her around the middle, holding her up. They ended up extremely close together, their noses almost touching. Both started to blush, and Silver set Blaze upright.

"…Thanks…" Blaze half-muttered while looking away from Silver.

"No problem…" Silver answered, still holding onto Blaze.

They managed to get all the way back without any problems. Blaze sat down in the area outside the rink itself, and despite it being warmer there, was shivering.

"Stupid ice…" She muttered, taking off her skates.

Silver glanced at her from where he was standing nearby, and walked off towards the concession desk. A few minutes later, he came back and sat down by Blaze with two cups of hot chocolate in hand.

"Want some?" He asked, holding a cup in front of her face.

Blaze looked up at Silver, glancing at his second cup, and, determining that he had two, took the one he had offered.

"Thanks, Silver." She smiled at him before taking a sip of the beverage, instantly feeling warmer.

---

When Amy got onto the ice, she went at a comfortable speed between the middle of the rink and the wall. Sonic, Shadow, and Jet were constantly speeding past, but she didn't mind much. She had stumbled a little bit when she reached some bigger bumps, but aside from that everything went smoothly.

As the boys raced by for the 37th time, Sonic and Jet were too busy to notice where they were going. Jet was headed straight for Amy.

"Watch where you're going, idiots!" Shadow yelled.

As they looked up, Jet panicked, and knocked Amy on the shoulder as he sped by. Amy started to fall, and just before she hit the ground, Sonic caught her.

"You okay, Ames?" He said, his voice full of concern.

"Yeah, I guess. Thanks, Sonic." Amy said.

"Good." Sonic said, standing Amy up and play-punching her in the shoulder.

Amy winced at the punch that seemed to be very light. "Ow…"

Sonic frowned. "Do you have a bruise?"

"Feels like it…" Amy said, feeling her shoulder and thinking hard.

"Come on, we'll go to the nurse and get you some ice." Sonic said, starting to skate towards the exit.

Amy followed him. "But what about your race?"

Sonic looked back at Shadow and Jet. Jet had fallen as well, and had slid into the wall. Shadow was standing in the middle of the rink, sweatdropping at Jet. He skated over and prodded at Jet with the boot of his skate.

"I think it's over, anyway." Sonic said.

---

Wave and Storm were in the small arcade, playing against each other. No matter what game they played- driving, shooting, fighting, or even trying to beat the high scores- Wave had beaten Storm's behind at everything. Some of the boys that had strayed there even began betting on them. Needless to say, the odds were in Wave's favor. And those who bet on Storm ended up utterly disappointed.

---

Tails had liked the physics class's idea of analyzing the skating for science. He was busying himself setting up a lot of complicated equipment. All of his parts came from his lab- which using his big brain he had packed into a box the size of a rubix cube. He earned a lot of stares pulling a video camera out of that thing…

---

Knuckles and Rouge were both having trouble with the ice. They were better off than Blaze, but certainly not as good as Amy.

"Come on, Knuckie. That the best you can do?" Rouge asked, moving farther away from the wall and skating faster.

"Quit calling me that, Batgirl!" Knuckles yelled, skating up by her. Unfortunately, he didn't watch where he was going, and his skate went into a big cut in the ice, the same one Blaze had tripped in. He fell flat on his face.

Rouge turned around, laughing at Knuckles. "Nice going, Klu-ah!" Rouge fell backwards, falling a few feet away from Knuckles.

It was his turn to laugh. "Who's the klutz now, Batgirl?"

Rouge glared at him. "Apparently both of us."

As they got up, they stumbled, and ended up running into each other, but they ended up holding each other by the arms and staying upright.

"What would you do without me, Knucklehead?" Rouge smirked.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Batgirl." He glared back.

Espio, who was walking around the edge of the rink, tapped on the glass near them. Once he had their attention, he signaled for them to come off the ice.

The rest of the gang was given the same signal.

As an employee came over the speakers telling the rest of the skaters to clear the ice for the zamboni, Mrs. White directed them to a seating area reserved for the skaters' close friends and family, close to the ice and with access to the area the skaters go that is usually closed to the public. Once seated, their attention fell on a few different things: The four men in business suits sitting in the judge's seats, namely Cam's sponsors, the sounds of busses pulling up and large numbers of people congregating in the lobby, and after the zamboni was done, Cam in the middle of the rink, her first outfit ready under her hoodie, poised as if starting a routine.

Suddenly, "Don't stop the music" by Rihanna **(A/N: THAT I DO NOT OWN IN ANY WAY!) **started playing loudly over the speakers, and Cam started dancing to it immediately, soon after beginning to skate. The routine obviously wasn't professional, as it's choreography didn't flow the best. But you could still feel the energy flowing off of Cam as she skated. While they watched, Mrs. White came over and filled them in on what exactly was going on.

"This is a warm-up routine I came up with for Cameron. It's designed to get her ready for the moves in her upcoming routines. Aside from that, it's an opportunity for her to get over the initial pressure and nervousness of her first performance. The fast moves help with that. It's not a problem for her to do this at all, because it won't count against her if she falls or messes up. It will also give us time to evaluate which students we'll need to keep an eye on during the real performances." As she said the last sentences, the rest of the school began filing in and filling up seats, a few teachers setting up cameras around the rink.

It was about halfway through the song now. Cam began noticing the people coming in. Just before she went into a big jump, **(A/N: Guess who?)** Peter, Hannah, and their posse all yelled out at the same time: "FAIL, DEMON!" Cam stumbled at this, not falling all the way down, but using her hand to keep off of the ground. This sparked the rest of the kids in the crowd, so that a large number of "Boo"s and rude statements filled the room. When she was supposed to go into a spin, Cam stopped instead. She dug into her pockets and pulled out two small objects, putting them in her ears as she glared straight at the crowd booing her. Then she began skating again.

"She expected this." Mrs. White stated, watching her. "So she brought mini headphones that are synched to the sound system wirelessly. That way she can still skate to the music, but completely ignore the crowd. I wouldn't approve of it if it wasn't her."

Cam kept skating, if anything then stronger than when she started, doing the rest of her routine almost flawlessly, and ending with more dance moves accompanied with a fake smile that could fool almost anyone. She skated off the ice to a hole in the wall by where the Sonic gang sat, catching her breath and removing the headphones. Mrs. White handed her a bottle of water, which she gladly took from her. Mrs. White followed up with a lecture as Cam started stretching.

"Now remember, Cameron. Don't-"

"Fall under the pressure from the crowd." Cam interrupted, showing the others that she had heard this lecture many times before.

Mrs. White shot her a look, but continued. "You need to-"

"Go into the bubble."

"Out there, you're-"

"The only person that exists."

"And never-"

"Deviate from my program."

"Even if you do nothing but fall, it's-"

"Not even an option. I know."

Mrs. White shot her another look, before saying "Good luck." And moving off to the stands to control the crowd with the other teachers. Cam took off her hoodie and stepped up to the opening in the wall, waiting for her signal to go onto the ice. There was a small wall in front, so the crowd couldn't see her and vice versa. She took a few deep breaths, but was called over by the stands where the Sonic gang sat, everyone wishing her luck. The signal was given for Cam to get onto the ice again, and she put her headphones in and skated out.

Initially, there was a large amount of booing and bad talk again. But everyone fell quiet by the time Cam had made it to the center of the rink and taken her pose. Most were under the glare of the teachers and threat of punishment. But one particular orange Echidna **(A/N: coughKEVINcough)** was staring at her, just like everyone at the store earlier. Cam looked right at him and they locked eyes for a few seconds before Bolero **(A/N: Don't own it, just in case you were still wondering.)** began playing and Cam started to skate.

She started out doing a few dance moves and small spins, as a distraction for the true purpose of building up speed for her first jump, which would eventually become a combination of a triple lutz double toe loop. For now, though, she did a double lutz double toe loop. She landed delicately, like it was too easy. Really, she had practiced this move more times than she could count. She continued skating around to the other side of the rink, where she did a double flip that would become a triple. Once again landing nicely. She flowed right into a layback spin, coming out of it with ease and moving on to a number of spirals that showed off her wide range of flexibility. She came out of the spiral looking more cautious than before, jumping to do a double axel but this time falling and sliding into the wall before getting back up again and to the spot she was supposed to be.

The fall caused a lot of laughter to erupt from the crowd, which was quickly silenced by glares from the teachers.

Cam went into a combination spin, that would obviously have been easier had she had more momentum from the double axel. But nonetheless she pulled it off, following up with a wide range of moves as part of a serpentine step sequence. She then skated off to the middle of the rink, going out into a moving lunge as she approached the middle, then standing up and stopping into a solid pose with her legs crossed and her hands on her hips at the end. She stood there for a few seconds that would have otherwise been filled with applause, then skated off to the opening again, rushing back to the dressing room to change.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 12

About 10 minutes later Cam came out again in her Romeo and Juliet attire. She was obviously very nervous, as she was taking a lot of deep breaths. You could almost see her shaking from the Sonic gang's spot in the stands. Mrs. White walked over and gave Cam a sip of water and a pep talk, trying to get her mind focused. Still, she looked doubtful.

The signal came, and Cam skated out again, her headphones in. She took a few last stretches as she made her way across the ice to her spot. One last deep breath, then she stopped and took her pose with another fake smile.

The music started playing, but for about four beats, she didn't move. A bell rang in the music, and then she started, replacing her happy expression with a pained one, and seeming to grip her heart as she spun around, then bounced up and down to the beat, using her arms and legs to build up speed quickly. A small hop, then more skating to build up speed, her arms outstretched. As she approached the end of the rink, she turned and jumped, falling but quickly getting back up and resuming her skating. The whole time she built up speed, she used her arms to make it seem like it was all part of her routine, not the wind up for another jump. She attempted a double flip that would become a triple, but fell again, this time using her arms to keep her at least on her feet.

She once again began skating, but it didn't look good for her chances unless she made a good recovery. A few seconds later she was at another jump, pulling off a double loop that she was currently working on making a triple. She skated a short distance, then went into a big combination spin. She came up and blew a kiss to the audience before going into yet another combination spin, this one consisting mostly of layback-type moves. After that it was almost as if she went into a short break, appealing to the audience and doing motions that portrayed Juliet before skating off again, still emitting the same atmosphere as before.

Again she turned to attempt a double flip, this time landing it right and making it a combination with a double toe loop. It was now halfway through the song. **(A/N: This is not easy to write. I feel so repetitive! .) **Cam skated across the rink, then did two more jumps that were very close to each other, but not quite a combination. Another combination spin, and the music was getting slow and quiet, as if it were ending. Cam did another successful jump in the middle of a long note, moving on to a different spot. Suddenly the music trilled upwards, becoming louder as well. Cam did a leap in midair, then began skating and spinning to the now happy music in a way that made you feel the happy mood, accompanied by a large (but fake) smile.

She then started a long series of spirals that became much better with the music. She ended the spiral and skated on to do another jump successfully, kicking her leg high into the air with the beat of the music soon after she landed. She then skated into another big combination spin, ending it with an "I" spin that takes a lot of flexibility. As the music ended, she brought her leg down and dug the toe pick into the ice, stopping her in her final pose. She stood there for a few seconds with a fake smile again, then bowed to the judges, followed by the booing audience and the two sides, one in which the Sonic gang was sitting. Then she retreated back to her spot, breathing even harder than the first time. She grabbed her water bottle and hoodie, going back to change into her regular clothes.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 13

This time changing only took about 5 minutes. Most of the students had filed out and onto the busses by then, but there was still a line waiting to file through the doors. The Sonic gang walked up and greeted Cam.

"Cam, that was great! You have to show me how to do one of those tricks!" Amy said, hugging her.

"Well, first, that wasn't great. I fell three times. Two of them were the first two in a song! If only I weren't such a klutz…" Cam trailed off before snapping out of it and moving on. "And second, don't expect to be able to do many tricks. If you have good balance, I may be able to teach you how to do a spin. But no promises."

Just then, the sponsors walked up to Cam, one clearing his throat to get her attention.

"Oh! Sorry! You have my undivided attention." Cam said as Mrs. White walked up beside Cam.

"Well… we have decided to continue supporting you financially. On a few conditions. First, you must do a flawless routine at one point or another. We're giving you some slack given your situation. Second, you must bring the jumps you intend on improving up to their proper levels. And finally, you must improve your artistry. We saw straight through those smiles. The only real expression we saw in your performances was the pained one. It's all in your eyes. They will tell us the truth. Get some real emotions into your performances. That is all." With that, the men walked away.

Mrs. White turned to Cam, a stern look now in her eyes.

"Cameron, expect for me to have you do things to improve your artistry." She stated before walking off.

Once she was out of hearing range, Cam decided to make a comment.

"…This is going to be torture… I can see it now: 'I don't care that you just landed a perfect triple axel! You didn't use enough emotion!' Meh…"

"Come on, Cam! Forget about that right now! Let's skate!" Amy cheered as she led everyone to the lockers.

While everyone else was putting on their skates, Cam decided to get some Gatorade from the vending machines outside. (She had special blade covers that made it so she could treat her skates like platform boots. They're more stable that way, and she can wear them outside) As she walked up to the vending machine, she spotted Kevin starting to cross the road only about 2 yards away from her. He was obviously trying to put distance between them, and didn't notice the car coming towards him, too fast to stop in time.

_**Flashback**_

_It was just after Cam's after school practice, about two years ago, the same spot. Kevin had just become official friends with Cam, and she couldn't have been happier. It was practically a do-nothing day at school, there was no homework, the bullies didn't pick on her for once, she had mastered another spin, and the best of all: she finally had a friend._

_Just before starting to cross the road, Cam noticed her shoelace was untied, and stopped on the edge of the road to fix it. Kevin kept going. Kevin was halfway across the road, and Cam stood up to catch up to him. Before she had a chance to move, a car came out of nowhere, hitting Kevin and sending him flying. _

_While other witnesses ran inside to call 911, Cam ran over to where Kevin was sprawled out on the ground, knocked out and bleeding, a few of his bones obviously broken. She checked his vital signs: no pulse and not breathing. She started CPR, and kept going until the paramedics arrived and took over, taking him away. That was the last time she saw him for months._

_**End Flashback**_

Cam had no time to think, yell, or to do anything but let her legs move for her. She ran forward, into the road, pushing Kevin the rest of the way across. She, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. The car hit her dead on, so hard that she landed five feet away from where the car had stopped.

There was an instant commotion. The students on the buses all started freaking out, and the teachers struggled to calm them down. A few teachers ran inside the building to call 911 and inform the staff of the building of what just happened. Mrs. White was also informed, and she quickly informed the gang before rushing outside to check on Cam.

Mrs. White was one of the few people allowed into the general area where the accident had taken place. Kevin was nearby, but not completely in her range of sight. The driver of the car was pacing nearby, muttering curses to himself. Mrs. White was the only one actually by Cam, who was conscious, but obviously in pain.

"Cameron, are you alright?! Can you hear me?!" Mrs. White said, too nervous at the chance of further injuring her to touch her.

"Coach… I can't… move my legs…. I'm so sorry…"

"No. Don't be sorry. Just focus on saving your energy. The paramedics will be here soon." At the end of this statement, the gang came out of the building and was given permission to come into the area by Mrs. White.

Sirens were heard in the distance, and two ambulances pulled up. The first crew automatically ran over to Cam and started the process of getting her into the ambulance while a representative of the second came up to the group.

"Are you the girl's friends? Do you know who her legal guardians are?" The man asked.

While the others nodded to the first question, Mrs. White responded to the second.

"I'm her legal guardian and her figure skating coach. Both of her parents passed away and no other relatives of hers were found."

"Alright," The man said, "You can catch a ride on the second ambulance to the hospital if you want to go."

There were no questions asked. Everyone squeezed into the back of the ambulance. To their surprise, at the last minute Kevin jumped in with them, but didn't grace them with so much as a word. Both ambulances were loaded, and they began driving off to the hospital.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 14

Somewhere along the line, one of the paramedics (not driving) turned around and decided to start a conversation. Looking around at the group, the paramedic immediately recognized Kevin.

"Hey, I remember you." She said, "This is so ironic! You were the one hit by a car a few years back! Now your friend is the one hit! It's like you switched places!"

"…She's not my friend anymore…" Was his only statement.

"I don't see why. She just pushed you out of the way of that car, and that's why she was hit, right?"

"…"

"She probably saved your life again!"

"Again?"

"Yes! Didn't anyone tell you? At the last accident, you had stopped breathing and had no pulse right after being hit by the car. That girl… she had only just learned CPR in health class, but she did it on you right away, and was doing it for half an hour before we ended up getting there! She did so well for being so young and in that situation. It's my most amazing experience as a paramedic. I've seen full-grown adults give up after five minutes!"

"She… she did?"

Tails decided to enter the conversation.

"You know…" he said, "She was talking about that incident earlier with Shadow. I happened to record it. I think you should hear what she said."

With that, Tails pulled out the tape recorder and played Cam's words back.

"_Why do you put up with being beaten up like this?" Shadow asked._

"_If I try to fight back, I only get hurt worse."_

"_So? Eventually they would stop."_

"_That's not it. Because of their high social position, the teachers won't touch them if they do anything to me. If I fought back, who knows what could happen? It all depends on how creative Peter and Hannah are feeling that day."_

"_That would stop too, once you had proof that they were the ones beating you up."_

"_Still…"_

"_That's not all, is it?"_

"_No…"_

"_Then why else?"_

"_I want to prove them wrong."_

"_What?"_

"_They're always saying that I'm this horrible, cursed monster, who does nothing but hurt people and destroy lives. I guess I figured… that if I kept my distance from people… and never fought back… and didn't show any emotion… that I'd be able to prove them wrong, but…"_

"_But?"_

"_But then Kevin came along. He asked if he could be my friend and I was so happy, you know? Someone who I could show my true colors around. But on that day, the accident happened. I tried to go see him at the hospital, but his family had gotten word of the rumors and wouldn't let me in. They even blocked out my cards and gifts…"_

"_So he thought you didn't care."_

"_Pretty much… since he told me he never wanted to see my face again, I took it seriously and started avoiding him, and covering my face if I had to go into his line of sight. Anything just so he won't look at me like that again…"_

"_Like what?"_

"_With so much hatred… I can see it in his eyes every time… It's one thing if Peter, Hannah, and their groups look at me like that, I mean, that's normal. But with him… he looked at me with different eyes before that… softer eyes… the difference is just too great for me to handle."_

"_So that gave them justification for beating you up more?"_

"_Yeah…"_

The recording ended, and Tails put the tape recorder away. Kevin was bent over, holding his head and taking it all in.

"I feel like such a jerk now… I wish I'd have known…" He murmured.

"You could always go back to being her friend." Amy offered.

"I don't see why she would forgive me…"

"She will." Amy promised him.

They pulled up to the hospital and were guided to waiting rooms. There they waited about 2 hours before they were finally allowed into Cam's room to see her. They all walked in, but before anything could be said, the doctor walked in with news.

"Are all of her friends here?" He asked, getting a nod from Mrs. White. He let out a sigh then continued. "I'm not going to sugarcoat this news. Cameron has taken numerous injuries to her ribs and legs. Other than a few scrapes, her arms were alright. But, she has a very significant injury to her spinal cord. It would take a miracle for her to not be paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of her life. But no matter what, her figure skating career is over."

Everyone's attention was pointed back towards Cam, whose head was now down with her eyes covered by her shadows. The doctor continued.

"She'll have to stay here for at least a week for rehab and for us to monitor her condition. It would be best if someone went back to her residence and picked up the things she'll need for her stay. That and all medications she's been taking recently. That's all." The doctor made his exit.

Cam was in no mood for talking. She never looked up, and was starting to shake.

"I'll go back to her room and get her things. I know where it all is, she stayed with me a few times after practice when she sprained her ankle and sent me to get her things for her." Mrs. White announced before leaving.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 15

A few days later, Cam had healed enough to be able to use a wheelchair to move around. Because of her ability to heal fast, she was back at the school by then as well. The jelly mess was cleaned up, and classes resumed where they had left off the other day. So, everyone headed over to the auditorium, where the next act was announced.

"Alright, everyone. Picking up from where we left off, next up are Hannah the Hedgehog and Peter the Porcupine with "Bop to the top" from High School Musical!" Mrs. Batson proclaimed.

"We're going to need a small bit of time to prepare, Mrs. Batson." Hannah reported.

"Alright, dear. Take your time."

"And we'll need some help."

"Well, take whoever you like backstage to help you, dear."

"Thank you, Mrs. Batson." Hannah concluded with a smirk, then turned around and walked backstage.

Before anyone could figure out what in the world they were talking about, Cam and Kevin realized they were being pushed (literally for Cam) backstage by Butch and Spike, followed closely by Peter. The teachers tried ignoring the fact, and Surge made sure the rest of the students remained seated.

Backstage, Hannah walked up to Cam while Peter confronted Kevin on the opposite side.

"So, Cameron… My voice is a bit tired today… but I'd like to get into choir. Art is for failures. Would you mind helping me out?" Hannah said in her annoying voice, which would be the equivalent of someone normal talking with their nose plugged.

Cam glared up at Hannah. "Not for you."

On the other side of the stage, a slap could be heard. Cam was now facing the direction Hannah's hand had forced it, but turned back to her soon afterwards, glaring again.

"You **will** help me, Cameron. If not for me, then do it for your new friends. You wouldn't want any of them to have an _accident_, would you?"

Cam's eyes widened at her, but then she looked away, staring at the ground to her side.

"…Fine, I'll do whatever it is…" She murmured, just loud enough so Hannah could hear it.

"Good little monster." Hannah smirked, before handing Cam a microphone/earpiece that was turned off at the moment. "Now, you know this song, right?"

"…Yes…" Was Cam's only reply.

"Good. You're going to sing it for me. But you can't sing it like yourself. You have to sing it like _I_ would. So, give me a preview of how you'll sing it…" Hannah instructed.

Cam made no comments, only started singing, pushing her whole voice up into her nose and singing through it, making a near perfect Hannah impression.

_I believe in dreamin'_

_Shootin' for the sta-ars._

That was all Cam sang.

"Good. Now do that perfectly to the music. And whatever you do, don't stop singing." Hannah lectured.

All she got in return was a nod.

--Meanwhile, with Kevin and Peter—

"What do you want?" Kevin asked.

"You are going to sing for me. Or else." Peter replied.

"Or else what?"

A slap rung out around the area. Kevin turned around, seeing Cam just after the recoil of the slap, and Hannah in the process of withdrawing her hand. Peter forced him to turn back around.

"You'll start getting the same treatment as her, that's what."

Kevin paused.

"I'll do it." He decided.

"Good choice. Now, sing part of "Bop to the Top." The guy part. Only like I would.

At that moment, they heard the female part off in the distance.

_I believe in dreamin',_

_Shootin' for the sta-ars._

Kevin took this as a cue and sang his part in a voice that would be able to be considered Peter's, but if you knew who was really singing it, you knew it would be a cover-up to his true voice.

_Baby to be number one,_

_You've got to raise the bar._

He ended with that. Peter seemed convinced, and threw Kevin another cordless headset mic.

"Sing it the way it should be sung, and don't stop until the song is over. Got it?" Peter asked.

Kevin nodded, and Peter walked off to the changing rooms with Hannah.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 16

15 minutes later, Hannah and Peter emerged on stage, dressed just like Ryan and Sharpay from High school musical. Even the ladder was there behind them. Cam and Kevin were stationed backstage. The music started, and Peter and Hannah began dancing and lip synching while Cam and Kevin sang.

_[Peter:]  
Mucho Gusto_

[Hannah:]  
Aye que fabulosa  
Rrrrr aye aye AYE  
Arrriba  
¿Quieres bailar?

[Peter:]  
Mirame

[Hannah:]  
I believe in dreamin'  
Shooting for the stars

[Peter:]  
Baby to be number one  
You got to raise the bar

[Hannah:]  
Kicking and a scratching  
Grinding out my best

[Peter:]  
Anything it takes to climb  
The ladder of success

[Both:]  
Work our tails off everyday  
Gotta bump the competition  
Blow them all away

[Peter:]  
Caliente

[Hannah:]  
Suave

[Hannah:]  
Yeah we're gonna

[Both:]  
Bop bop bop, bop to the top  
Slip and slide and ride that rythm

[Peter:]  
Jump and hop  
Hop until we drop

[Hannah:]  
And start again  
Zip zap zop hop, walk like a mop

[Peter:]  
Scoot around the corner  
Move it to the groove  
Until the music stops

[Both:]  
Do the bop bop bop  
To the top  
Don't ever stop  
Bop to the top  
Gimme gimme  
shimmy shimmy  
Shake some booty and turn around  
Flash a smile in their direction

[Hannah:]  
Show some muscle

[Peter:]  
Do the hustle

[Hannah:]  
Yeah we're gonna

[Both:]  
Bop bop bop, bop to the top

[Peter:]  
Wipe away your inhibitions

[Both:]  
Stump stump stump, do the rump

[Hannah:]  
And strut your stuff

[Both:]  
Bop bop bop, straight to the top  
We're going for the glory

[Peter:]  
We'll keep stepping up and we just won't stop

[Hannah: stop]

[Both:]  
Till we reach the top  
Bop to the top

They ended in a pose on top of the ladder, being greeted by thunderous applause from the audience. Apparently the entire student body was invited to come and watch. As they dispersed, the teachers gave their opinions.

"Fantastic job, both of you!" Mrs. Batson said.

"A true work of art." Miss Munroe agreed.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Surge added.

"Both of you are going to choir." Mrs. Batson announced.

Hannah and Peter smirked, giving each other a high 5, and walking off stage. Once changed, they went back to the audience, letting Cam and Kevin go.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 17

Mrs. Batson stood up. "Now it's Blaze and Silver singing "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown, with backup singing from Amy, Rouge, and Wave!"

The mixture of "boo"s and cheers again filled the room.

They walked up on stage, each with a mic, and before the music started, the backups sang, starting the song.

_Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air?_

[Blaze:]

_If I should die before I wake_

_It's 'cuz you took my breath away_

_Losing you is like living in a world with no air_

_Oh_

[Silver:]

_I'm here, alone, didn't wanna leave_

_My heart won't move, it's incomplete_

_Wish there was a way_

_That I could make you understand_

[Blaze:]

_But how do you expect me_

_To live alone with just me?_

'_Cuz my world revolves around you_

_It's so hard for me to breathe_

[Both:]

_Tell me how I'm supposed to breath with no air_

_Can't live, can't breathe with no air_

_It's how I feel whenever you ain't there_

_There's no air, no air._

_(No air, air) Oh._

_(No air, air) No._

_(No air, air) Oh._

_(No air, air) _

[Silver:]

_I walked, I ran, I jumped, I flew_

_Right of the ground to float to you_

_With no gravity to hold me down for real_

[Blaze:]

_But somehow I'm still alive inside_

_You took my breath but I survived_

_I don't know how but I don't even care_

[Both:]

_So how do you expect me_

_To live alone with just me? _

'_Cuz my world revolves around you_

_It's so hard for me to breathe_

_Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air_

_Can't live, can't breathe with no air_

_It's how I feel whenever you ain't there_

_There's no air, no air._

_Got me out here in the water so deep_

_Tell me how you're gon' be without me_

_If you ain't here I just can't breathe_

_There's no air, no air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

_No more_

_Baby_

_There's no air, no air_

_No air, oh!_

_Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air_

_Can't live, can't breathe with no air_

_It's how I feel whenever you ain't there_

_There's no air, no air._

_Got me out here in the water so deep_

_Tell me how you're gon' be without me_

_If you ain't here I just can't breathe_

_There's no air, no air_

_(No air, air)_

_(No air, air)_

_(No air, air)_

_(No air, air)_

_Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air_

_Can't live, can't breathe with no air_

_It's how I feel whenever you ain't there_

_There's no air, no air._

_Got me out here in the water so deep_

_Tell me how you're gon' be without me_

_If you ain't here I just can't breathe_

_There's no air, no air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

_No air, air_

_No air_

Ms. Batson jumped out of her seat clapping, while Surge and Miss Munroe simply sat and clapped politely. There was more cheering this time than last, surprisingly.

"What a talented group!" Ms. Batson seemed very happy. "You're all in choir!"

High fives went through the new friends as they moved back down.

"Okay, now for the students who didn't have a song… Anna, Montana, Butch, and Spike. Come up here, please."

The students followed instructions, shuffling around on the stage. Looks like they had stage fright, something that should have been more common. Ms. Batson moved up to the piano, wheeling it out and handing each student a sheet of paper with simple groups of letters that couldn't even be called words.

"We're doing a scale now, starting on "Do." When you move up a note, go to the next word. Then going back down, read it backwards." She instructed.

Only blank stares were her response. She sighed and played the first note, cueing the students. They sang it. But none of them were really singing the right note. Anna was one and a half steps farther up than the note. All Ms. Batson could do was sigh and keep going up the scale until it was done.

_Do_

_Re_

_Mi_

_Fa_

_Sol_

_La_

_Ti_

_Do_

_Ti_

_La_

_Sol_

_Fa_

_Mi_

_Re_

_Do…_

Even the people in the audience flinched. Not pretty.

"Looks like I have four art students…" Miss Munroe said.

The four lackeys hung their heads slightly, shuffling back to their seats.

**(A/N: BY POPULAR DEMAND I AM ADDING TO THIS CHAPTER, STARTING HERE!)**

Mrs. Batson stood up to announce another name. "Okay, now it's Kevin the Echidna singing… hm?" When Kevin was in the process of standing up, Peter raised his hand.

"Mrs. Batson, I have a student council announcement to make." He said.

"Oh. Well, go ahead, dear. You can use a microphone." She smiled, sitting down.

Kevin also sat down as Peter made his way up to the stage and grabbed a microphone.

"Well, it's that time of year again, and MA encourages all students sign up for some sort of sport. Sign up lists will be out for try-outs. If you plan on doing a sport outside of school, there will be a list out for that where in addition to your name you will put your sport. The sports for boys include: Football, basketball, baseball, soccer, track, wrestling, sparring, and extreme gear racing. Sports for girls are: Cheerleading, basketball, softball, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, track, sparring, and extreme gear racing. Then there's _special _classes for people who aren't _normal._" He put air quotes around _special_ and _normal_ for emphasis, smirking at Cam, and getting a glare in return. "Since _some_ people can't do things like _figure skating._"

That was enough to snap Cam's last nerve. **"SHUT UP, PETER!"** She yelled, louder than his mic had made his voice. "**I **_**WILL**_** SKATE AGAIN! JUST YOU WAIT!"**

She wheeled herself out of the auditorium. The teachers didn't do anything, either. It was 5 minutes before the class was supposed to get out, and Cam had that time to get to her next class before the hallways became crowded.

Surge let out an awkward cough. "Ahem… well… you may, erm, do as you wish until the class is over…AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU CONSIDER FOOTBALL, GENTLEMEN!"

"Ooh! Ooh! Cheerleading will be lots of fun, ladies! Think about it!" Mrs. Batson said.

The bell rang.

As the class walked down the hallway, each group had their own conversation.

---With Hannah, Anna, and Montana---

"Hey, have you seen the new guys? They're pretty cute…" Anna said, glancing over at them.

"Sure they are, but they're on the wrong side. There's no way they'll go out with us…" Montana trailed off.

"Oh, I don't know about that." Hannah said, smirking the tiniest bit.

"You mean you're going to use _that?_" Montana asked.

"That's why I said I had no powers, after all." Hannah replied. "After all, what takes away it's effectiveness is awareness."

"So, which ones do we go after first?" Anna asked.

"Let's go after the strongest." Hannah suggested. "If we can get them, the group itself will be weaker. So, who do they look up to most…?"

"The blue hedgehog." Montana said. "Sonic."

"Okay. I'll take him. We're the same species, after all." Hannah said. "Who else?"

"That Silver guy has telekinesis, right?" Montana mentioned. "Plus, I think he's the cutest…"

Hannah nodded. "Then you can have him. Anna? What about you?"

Anna looked over them. "I can't choose between the black hedgehog and the red echidna." She admitted.

"The red one is dumb. He'll be easy to get later. Go for the black guy." Montana said.

Anna nodded. "Okay."

"Great timing, too. Home Ec. is next. You know what to do." Hannah said, pulling three tiny pouches out of her bag and handing one to each of her lackeys, keeping one for herself.

---With Sonic Team girls---

"Can you believe the nerve of those people?" Amy ranted.

"We'll have to do something about them." Rouge said.

"…Just so you know, they're looking the guys over…" Blaze mentioned.

Attention went over to Hannah, Anna, and Montana. Hannah was smirking and they were talking about something, constantly glancing over at the guys.

Wave glared at them. "If I had my wrench right now-"

A teacher passed by, making them look straight ahead and stop their conversation. As the teacher left earshot, the conversation started again.

"Trust me. Lots of people want to do bad things to them. But then we'd get a detention, be suspended, or even expelled, depending on the person and their relationship to Hannah or Peter. I started a diary of all the bad things they've done since elementary school online. Most of the student body knows about it, and it's been kept under close watch. It's a school page, so students have to put in their ID number, a password, and answer a question about themselves. Students regulate it, so we can block out people who we don't want to see it, like teachers. I'll show you tonight while it's updated." Blaze explained.

"Eventually we're going to use it against them. So far we have a ton of witnesses and evidence for every event. You're not alone." She continued.

The rest of the group nodded. They were looking forward to that.

---With the Sonic Team boys---

"Why do _we_ have to take home ec?" Knuckles complained.

"Yeah." Jet nodded. "Housework is a girl's job."

"I dunno." Kevin said, now getting along with the group of guys. "You have to admit, learning how to cook without a microwave or toaster _may_ come in handy."

"I heard girls like guys that can cook, too." Silver added.

"Which is good it's required, because some of you could use all the help you can get." Sonic teased, grinning back at the rest.

"You're one to talk, Faker." Shadow said while rolling his eyes.

They continued insulting each other until reaching the classroom.

---With Peter and Co.---

"You know the plan for after school, right?" Peter asked his henchmen.

"Uh… which one is it again, Boss?" Butch asked. Spike looked equally as confused.

"Plan number 23, dimwits." Peter snapped.

"Uhh… which one was that, Boss?" Spike asked.

Peter sighed. "We find a way to get to Cameron, probably by smooth talking our way into their dorm, then teach them a lesson. Remember? I already got Hannah to help with the strongest guys of the group. They're done talking back. They **will** learn their place, one way or the other."

"Right, Boss!" Butch and Spike said in unison.

---With everyone---

As the bell rang, the students reached the classroom, walking in to be greeted by Vanilla the Rabbit and the mixed aroma of cookies and burnt things.

---

**Uh-oh! Looks like trouble is coming up! **

**Thanks SO very much to Alyssacookie and Echidnagirl for giving me advice on the story and to Galexiathechao for being the only other reviewer other than those above. That being said:**

**REVIEWS ARE LOVED AND WILL EARN YOU A FRESH PLATE OF OXYGEN COOKIES! They're made of 100% oxygen and available at any time.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 18

The class stood against the wall, unsure of what to do.

"Welcome to Home Economics, class." Vanilla greeted with a smile. "We'll be making cookies today. Please follow my instructions and if you are ever unsure of something, please ask me before going ahead with it. I'm afraid there have been many batches ruined today…" As if confirming this, the smoke alarms went off, and a black plume was seen from one of the ovens in the kitchen. Vanilla went over and, using the dish towel that was draped over her shoulder, waved the smoke away from the detector.

"Cameron, have you put that fire out yet?" She asked in the oven's general direction.

"I swear, someone replaced the cocoa with magnesium in the last class! Regular cookies would have gone out with a fire extinguisher!" Cam said from somewhere in the smoke.

She wheeled out, holding a pan of burnt black blobs **(A/N: Try saying that 100 times.)** which seemed to still be smoldering.

Vanilla sighed. "Probably that bee they had to confiscate the arms from… he smelled like gunpowder even from 2 feet away… What a strange class…"

She shook her head, then counted the number of students. "20 students… good! Then we'll have 5 groups of 4. Get into your groups and put your things by the wall."

The groups were as follows:

Group 1: Amy, Rouge, Blaze, and Wave.

Group 2: Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, …?

Group 3: Shadow, Espio, Jet, …?

Group 4: Peter, Butch, Spike, Storm

Group 5: Silver, Kevin, Cameron, …?

Group 6?: Hannah, Anna, Montana, …?

Vanilla looked at the groups, shaking her head and sighting yet again. "Looks like I'll have to split a group up… Hannah, you go with Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails. Anna, go with Shadow, Espio, and Jet. Montana, you're with Silver, Kevin, and Cameron. We're making sugar cookies. Two people will be in charge of putting the ingredients together, one will be in charge of baking, and another in charge of rolling the dough in sugar and bagging the cookies. I expect an equal amount for every person, alright? Sort the jobs amongst yourselves.

---In Group 1---

"I'll do baking." Blaze said first thing. "I'd probably burn the stuff in any other step. At least if I'm baking I have an excuse."

The others sweatdropped and nodded.

"I vote that Amy watches all of us on our parts." Rouge suggested. "She's always been the cook before coming here."

"Okay. I'll do mixing. Why don't you help me with that, Wave, and Rouge does the sugar and bagging" Amy added.

Rouge nodded and Wave shrugged. The group had a fairly indifferent attitude.

---In group 2---

"I'm the bagger and sugar person!" Hannah claimed.

The guys looked at her and shrugged at one another.

"It's probably best if I do mixing with Sonic and Knuckles does baking." Tails pondered.

Tails was the only one who really had a clue amongst the guys. They didn't exactly want to listen to Hannah.

---In group 3---

An awkward silence was all that was going on. Anna shuffled her feet and started at the ground.

"Um… mind if I do the bagging? I'm a horrible cook." Anna admitted, messing with the hem of her skirt. She looked really innocent.

She earned a "Hn", "Hmph", and "Whatever." From each of the guys.

Vanilla walked over. "Having some trouble? What jobs do you have figured out?" She asked. "I'm bagging, but that's it…" Anna said quietly.

"Oh, alright, then. Let's see… Shadow and Espio can mix, and Jet can bake. Is that alright?" Vanilla asked.

She only got nods, but took this as a "yes".

"Okay, then. Have fun!" Vanilla smiled and walked away.

---In group 4---

"What do we do, Boss?" Spike asked.

Peter crossed his arms. "You," He said, pointing to Butch. "Mix."

"You," He pointed to Spike, "Bake."

"You," he pointed to Storm, "Bag."

"And I'll make sure none of you mess it up. Got it?" Peter ordered.

"Yeah, Boss!" Butch and Spike answered in unison.

"Yeah!" Storm said, leaving the "Boss" part out.

---In group 5---

"So, who here other than me knows anything about cooking?" Cam asked, still somewhat ticked off. Montana's presence didn't help.

There was no reply. Cam sighed. "Montana, you're a cheerleader, so I know you can count, even if you, as a group, spelled both "Whack" and "Team" wrong at the homecoming game last year. Do the bagging, OK?"

Montana seemed a little too happy about getting that job. "Okay." She grinned, walking away.

"What jobs do you guys want? I can do anything." Cam said.

"I'll do the baking." Silver suggested. "No hands."

Cam and Kevin both nodded at this. They waited for more instructions.

Cam glanced over at Kevin. _'Why is he in my group?'_ She thought. _'He isn't glaring at me anymore, either…'_

Kevin hadn't talked to Cam yet. He just started hanging around her more often. She caught him glancing at her more than once, and it was starting to confuse her a lot.

---With everyone---

"Okay, everyone. Look up here!" Vanilla called, pulling the groups out of their conversations.

At her own station, Vanilla had 5 of every material the groups would need laid out.

"Come get your utensils. Only one person from each group, please." She instructed.

The groups' stations consisted of 2 yards long and 2 feet wide countertops, an oven/stove, and outlets for electricity operated utensils. Each counter had space underneath where these special utensils could be stored. The counters were in a "U" shape, with one station on each side of the "U". There was another one branching off from the wall, on the corner of the last station. It formed somewhat of a wall between the kitchen area and the classroom area. Half of the counter in this section was much lower for handicapped students to work.

Each group got a recipe, 2 small bowls, a large bowl, measuring cups, measuring spoons, two regular spoons, a cookie scooper, two cookie sheets, and a handheld mixer.

One of the sets of supplies got a light blue glow around it, and flew on its own over to Silver, who took it two steps over to the counter.

"Show off." Blaze teased as she walked by to get her group's things.

Tails, Espio, and Storm were sent to get their respective group's piles. As the groups set out their supplies, Vanilla got out the ingredients. The same thing happened with them.

"Call me if you need any help, okay? Start now!" Vanilla said.

---In group 1---

Wave and Amy got to work mixing.

Blaze set the oven to preheat. Rouge found a comfortable place to lounge.

With Amy's help, all went smoothly until…

"How does this thing work?" Wave asked, fiddling with the mixer in the flour bowl. "Wait… aha! I see now!"

Amy looked up, and seeing what Wave was doing, her eyes went wide. "Wait, Wave, don't-!"

Too late. Wave turned the mixer onto high, with the mixer's blades only halfway into it at a sideways angle. The dry ingredients went everywhere, showering onto the group.

"Ahh!" Wave screamed, letting go of the mixer.

There was a large amount of screaming and a cloud of flour in the entire station. The mixer kept going like crazy. Everything stopped in the kitchen as people started at the chaos. Vanilla rushed over, making the screaming and the showering of ingredients stop as she unplugged the mixer.

When the cloud cleared, a fit of laughter broke out from everyone. Even the girls, who were now covered in flour and looking like ghosts, laughed at each other.

Vanilla, for the hundredth time that day, sighed. "Just refill your bowl and try again, we'll clean all this up after you're done…" She handed the mixer back to Wave.

Sonic, Silver, Jet, and Knuckles walked up.

---

"Having some trouble?" Jet grinned at Wave.

"Oh, be quiet for once." Wave replied, grabbing a little bit of the leftover flour from the bottom of the bowl and flicking it at Jet, effectively covering his head.

"Hey!" He yelled, grabbing some for himself and flicking it back at her. She avoided it, and it landed on the back of Knuckles' head. He didn't notice, so while Wave was suppressing her laughter, Jet crept back to his group.

---

"Well, Batgirl, looks like you're doing a good job so far…" Knuckles snickered.

"Shut up, Knucklehead." Rouge said. "Don't you have work to do?"

"Not yet, I don't." Knuckles said.

A little poof of white appeared behind his head, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Then I assume you preheated your oven?" Rouge countered.

"…" Knuckles turned around, and went back to work without another word, setting the oven.

Rouge and Wave giggled as he walked away.

---

"You okay, Ames? You're as pale as a ghost." Sonic chuckled.

"Sure I am, Sonic. But I could use a hug…" Amy smiled mischievously at the blue hedgehog.

Sonic's eyes got as big as dish plates, but he moved too late. Amy got him into a bear hug, and effectively got flour all over him.

"Amy!" Sonic complained. "Now I have to wash this!"

Amy giggled at Sonic as he walked away, trying to brush the flour off, grumbling.

---In group 2, after the return of Knuckles and Sonic---

Tails finished mixing the dough, and the guys sat around talking while Hannah scooped, rolled, and put the cookies. When she was sure no one was looking, she took her pouch of powder, rolling the last few cookies into it as well as the sugar, being sure to cover them. She smeared some dough on one side of the pan, marking which group of cookies would go to Sonic. When she finished, she smirked, changing to a smile as she turned to the boys.

"Time for baking!" She said, handing one of the pans to Knuckles.

---

At the same time, in the other groups, Anna and Montana were doing the same things with their batches.

Everyone's cookies were in the oven, and the students were sitting around, talking.

Kevin walked up to Cameron, pulling up a chair and sitting in front of her. Cam stared for a second before realizing what was happening, and turned her head to the side.

"Cameron…" Kevin started, earning him a sideways glance. It didn't last, though. Cam closed her eyes.

"I thought you never wanted to see my face again." She stated, not opening her eyes.

"Your friends told me the whole story…" Kevin explained. "I was wrong for hitting you, saying that to you, and making you go through it for so long." Cam's eyes opened, but she still didn't look at him. She looked sad.

"I'm so sorry, Cam. I hope you'll forgive me…" He finally said.

Cam's eyes shut tight, her face scrunching up, slightly. "You idiot…" She said, her hands tightening around the arms of her wheelchair.

Kevin slumped a little bit. "I was afraid you'd-" He was cut off, caught in a hug.

"Of course I forgive you." Kevin felt the tiniest bit of wetness against his cheek. "I missed you so much…" Cam said, moving back into her chair before she fell. She wiped her eye discreetly.

Kevin settled for holding Cam's hand.

"Why don't you come visit our dorm after school?" Cam suggested. "We can catch up."

"I'll come over right after getting those packets from the principal. I'll talk to Knuckles about him getting his, too." Kevin said.

A shadow then loomed over them.

"Aww, how sweet. Little Cammy got her friend back." Hannah said. She patted Cam's cheek just light enough that it didn't make a noise. "How's your cheek?" Cam flinched away from Hannah.

Kevin pushed her hand away. "Stop it." He warned.

"Oh, how scary, he's mad at me." Hannah giggled before trotting away.

"Are you okay?" Kevin asked.

"I'll be fine…" Cam said unconvincingly.

---

Hannah walked back up to Anna and Montana, pulling them away from the crowd.

"You got it in place, right?" She whispered.

Anna and Montana nodded.

"Good. Put the extra in the bag. We're paying them a visit after school. And Peter, Butch, and Spike are coming with us."

Another nod. All the timers went off in the ovens, so they retreated to their stations.

---

Once all the cookies were bagged and labeled with names, they were distributed.

The cookies from Peter's group looked like blobs unfit to be called cookies. Some were burnt. One had even flown off of the pan and onto the oven door. They forgot to shut the oven, as well, so there was another screech from the smoke detectors, and Cam once again got out the fire extinguisher.

The rest of the class' turned out OK. Not perfect, by any means, but definitely edible.

---

**THERE YOU GO! About 2,200 words of pure chapter, RIGHT THERE! I proclaim this chapter a win, but that's for you to decide. Tell me if there's anything wrong with it, and I will gladly fix it. (Unless, of course, there's one spelling mistake that doesn't affect much. Then I'll be too lazy)**

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	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 19

After a good cleaning of the stations, particularly the girls' station, the bell rang, and they went to the last class, language arts. They were greeted by Mrs. White.

"Good afternoon, class. I'm sure by now most of you know me as Mrs. White. I am your language arts teacher. I expect the best out of each and every one of you this year. Your names are on the desk you've been assigned. Go sit there." She ordered.

The class did as they were told, finding their seats at the tables that were pushed together to form 4-person groups. Each set of tables had a number on it as well.

Group 1: Hannah, Peter, Anna, Spike.

Group 2: Montana, Butch, Kevin, Cameron.

Group 3: Rouge, Amy, Knuckles, Sonic.

Group 4: Blaze, Silver, Espio, Shadow.

Group 5: Jet, Wave, Storm, Tails.

"Good. Now, we are going to watch a movie introducing the class. Just this once, I will let you snack and have a beverage while watching." Mrs. White said, walking over to the TV mounted above her desk and fiddling with the controls.

The class dug out their cookies and whatever drinks they may have had. Cam took out her bag and a spare sheet of paper, scribbling something down on it before attaching it to the bag and sliding them over to Kevin. He looked at her for a second before opening the note.

_Kevin-_

_You can have these. If Mrs. White sees that I'm eating them, or even worse, gained weight later on, she'll work me until I can't stand once I get back on my feet. _

_Thanks!_

_~Cam_

Kevin stared at the note for a little while after reading it. He shook it off though, and smiled at her, nodding as a signal for "Thank you". She smiled and nodded back, then turned her head to watch the movie.

The class went on, staring at the screen and eating away at the cookies. Once Sonic finished his, he felt a little funny, but shrugged it off. Silver and Shadow got similar feelings when they were done. Sonic felt a small object hit his arm. Picking it up, he saw it was a note, despite the lack of light. He opened it.

_Sonic-_

_Mind if me and a friend or two stop by your dorm after school? I promise I'll behave~._

_-Hannah._

As Sonic read the note, Peter could see Hannah's eyes flash in the dark. He smirked, knowing her plan was going into action.

Anna and Montana had gotten similar notes to Silver and Shadow. Silver found his in the same bag as the cookies after eating them.

_Silver-_

_I think we got off on the wrong foot. Can I talk with you after school? I'll come to your dorm if you let me._

_-Montana_

Shadow found his inside his bag.

_Shadow-_

_I hope the cookies are okay. Can I stop by for a visit after school?_

_-Anna_

As Hannah's eyes flashed, so did the three hedgehogs'. As if automatically, they all responded to their notes.

_Yes._

Hannah smirked as she and her companions received their notes. The smirk got bigger as she read what it said. On the same sheet of paper, she wrote something and passed it to Peter.

Peter's smile got wider as he read down the note.

_Spell binding was a success. They'll do whatever we want, now. Just make sure those two echidnas don't get in the way. They'll pick up on it right away._

Peter wrote on the note again, passing it back.

_I'll make sure both of them are out of the way. I'll have Butch, Spike, and Alexander to "occupy" them._

Hannah read the note and frowned.

_Alexander? You mean like, Alexander the Bat? Are you sure you want to do that? Even the teachers are going to start thinking you're going too far. The guy's been locked in juvie before._

Peter kept his confident attitude.

_No. He has the brains to know when to stop and where to hit. He'll do the fighting, Butch and Spike will be the guards, and I'm counting on you for the distraction. Are you with me?_

Hannah still frowned.

_Yeah. I'm with you. Unless your plan kills someone. Then I had nothing to do with it._

---

**Note to readers: I appreciate all of you reading my story, even more so if you reviewed. But I've had a lot of requests to put people's OC's in, when, I don't need any currently. I will ask for some should I need them, and I won't hide it, it will be right on the summary. If you're still wondering, you **_**can**_** ask me through PM or review weather or not I'm accepting them. I kindly ask you to stop requesting I put your OC in. But, I tend to be a bit friendlier to those who give me honest reviews in many chapters. (hint hint wink wink)**

**Now back to the regular author's note**

**Eek! Killing someone?! Who the heck IS that person?! Why was he in Juvie?!**

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	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 20

As school ended, the majority of the students went back to their dorms to change, then go about as they wished.

Kevin and Knuckles headed to the principal's office to get their packets, and Knuckles arrived at the dorm with it only 5 minutes after the rest. All of the guys (in the dorm) changed to jeans and t-shirts, and how they were worn or fit varied among them. **(A/N: Sorry, I'm trying not to add too many of these now! I just wanted to say that I am in no way a fashion expert, so you're all going to have to use your imaginations for the guys.)**

Amy ended up in her racing attire, and Wave and Blaze wore their normal outfits. Rouge had to use a different outfit due to dress code, so she went with her boots, black jeans, and a black halter top with a pink heart on it, cut just high enough to be deemed appropriate. After a while, Cam wheeled herself out wearing a black tank top, black fingerless gloves, camouflage print pants, and simple black tennis shoes, and of course, her locket.

"Did it really take you that long to change?" Amy asked.

"Well, it will take some time to get used to changing without my legs, and I'm not asking anyone for help." Cam said, rolling her eyes.

A knock on the door was heard, and Cam, being the closest, wheeled over and answered it. Kevin greeted her with a rather old looking book and what seemed to be his packet of papers to translate peeking out of his bookbag, now emptied of it's other contents. He had also changed to jeans and a t-shirt.

"Hey." He greeted. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah." Cam said, backing herself out of his way.

As he entered, Sonic looked back from where he was lounging on one of the couches. Looking somewhat disappointed, he thought out loud.

"Oh, okay. Hannah's not here yet." He remarked.

Many heads turned towards him at this statement.

"What?" Amy asked. "What do you mean, Sonic?"

"I gave Hannah permission to come to the dorm after school today and bring some friends." Sonic said, shrugging it off.

"…Did anyone else know about this?" Amy said after a pause.

"Sort of." Silver said. "Except I invited Montana."

Blaze snapped her attention to him. "What?! Just the other day you said you hated her! This isn't like you."

Silver shrugged as well. "I never quite gave her a chance, either."

Cam and Kevin exchanged a glance.

"I don't suppose anyone gave permission to Anna to come here?" Kevin asked.

"Hn." Shadow said, acknowledging that he had.

Cam and Kevin glanced at each other again, and Kevin went over to Sonic while Cam went towards Shadow.

"Shadow, could you look over here for a second?" Cam asked.

Shadow looked at her, and their eyes met for a second. This seemed to be enough for her.

"Thanks." She said, backing up and going back over to Kevin, who had done the same thing with Sonic and Silver.

"Want to go for a walk… wheel… whatever?" Cam asked, grabbing her bag from where she'd left it.

"Sure." Kevin said, opening the door for her.

Once they were out, the door clicked. It only took a minute to hear another knock. Sonic got up and opened it, and was tackle hugged.

"Hi, Sonic." Hannah said, backing up, but leaving her arms around his neck.

"Hi, Hannah." Sonic said, smiling at her.

Montana and Anna were there, too. As they entered, Hannah sat down on the couch near Sonic to watch TV.

Silver and Shadow eventually ended up with the same situation, while the Barbies completely blew off the death glares coming from the rest of the room.

---

As Kevin and Cam went down the hallway, they were passed by Hannah, Anna, and Montana. As the three entered the room they had just left and came out of earshot. Cam stopped.

"I knew it. You felt that disturbance in Language Arts, right?" Cam asked.

Kevin nodded. "One of them is using magic."

"A charm spell. How low can you get?" Cam said, disgusted. She dug in her bag, pulling out a pendant. Afterwards, she tossed it into the air. "Jkuvv jimmed." She said, the pendant glowing, then turning into a staff. Cam caught it.

Kevin pulled out his book. "Want to go somewhere a little more private?" He asked.

Cam nodded. "Sure. Hokihd." The staff glowed again, turning back into a pendant. As she returned it to her bag, she pulled out her stack of papers, and read it as she rolled along.

"…That's weird… right here there's a thing that says 'Spells'… and under that are different categories… 'Shield'?"

As Cam mumbled to herself, Kevin stopped as three figures stepped out, obviously focused on the two of them. Cam didn't manage to look up, and was stopped by a pair of arms grabbing the arms of her wheelchair. All she saw was a pair of grey gloves with red designs on them. When she looked up, she saw a black-furred bat with a tan muzzle, arms, and wing insides. His hair was also black, and grown out over his left eye, as well as pulled back into a short, bushy ponytail at the base of his head. The bat had green eyes, and smirked down at her. He also wore a red muscle shirt with grey pants containing red straps and buckles all over them. He wore crossed red and black belts, the black one with a skull buckle at the front. Headphones were resting on his shoulders, which were flanked by Butch and Spike.

Cam let out a scream as the bat lifted up on the arms of her chair, flipping her backwards and out of it, the papers and contents of her bag going everywhere. Kevin ran up to her, helping her sit upright.

"What do you want, Alexander?!" Kevin yelled, putting himself in front of Cam while still holding her up.

Alexander smirked down at them, cracking his knuckles. "I was told to make sure you two stay nice and quiet. Can't have you letting knowledge of Hannah's powers out, you know…"

Cam noticed her pendant nearby and grabbed it, whispering the spell to make it turn into a staff. As soon as it changed, Alexander noticed, and stormed over to them. As Kevin stood up to fight, he was punched in the gut and out of the way, where Butch and Spike grabbed him. Cam tried using a spell, but the staff was kicked out of her hand. She flinched and drew her arm back in as Alexander grabbed her by her neck and slamming her into the wall, pinning her there.

"You two are going to have a little 'Accident'…" He said. He punched Cam in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her, and leaving a bruise. Butch and Spike started attaching blows to Kevin's person, as well.

---

Dr. Omeletman walked down the halls of the campus happily, greeting the few students that passed by as he went. He didn't normally go to the dorms, but he wanted to check on the three echidnas. Chances are if they had gotten right to work, they would have found something already that would need an explanation. After all, the packets didn't include the carvings in the ruins that showed pictures of the chosen, each doing something seeming godlike in nature. He shook his head at the thought, but was soon snapped out of his trance by the sound of fighting. He hurried over, hiding behind the corner and taking the scene in. The two echidnas that used magic were being assaulted by three other students. Cameron was knocked out of her wheelchair, and was currently on the ground, coughing up blood as a black bat kicked her. Kevin was being beaten by two crocodiles, but seemed more focused on getting to Cameron.

"Get away from her, Alexander! You've done enough!" Kevin yelled. The only response he got was being slammed into the wall by the crocodiles. The black bat aimed a kick at Cameron's head, and the principal had seen enough.

"That's enough! Alexander the bat, and Butch and Spike the Crocodiles, you will come with me right away, to my office!" The young delinquents turned around quickly, shocked that Omeletman had appeared. "Not a word until we get there, understood? Start walking. Now."

The boys did as they were told. As Omeletman turned to check on the Echidnas, Kevin was already by Cameron's side.

"Stay right where you are. I'll send a nurse for you." Omeletman said, hurrying off to do his new tasks.

---

In the dorm, things were turning worse. Hannah and friends had successfully convinced Sonic, Shadow, and Silver to try out for the football and basketball teams- the sports cheerleaders attended.

Amy was fuming, and Blaze was ticked off. Rouge took notice of this, and walked up to the two.

"Why don't we go somewhere else for a while?" Rouge asked.

Amy looked at Rouge, nodded, then went and grabbed her things. "Sure. Anywhere but here sounds very appealing."

"My thoughts exactly." Blaze said, doing the same thing.

"I'll come, too." Wave butted in. "Anything to get away from the mush."

They exited the room and started walking down the hallway.

Blaze stopped in the hallway, staring ahead. The other girls noticed and stopped as well.

"What is it, Blaze?" Wave asked.

Blaze pointed forwards. A janitor was quickly cleaning up a bunch of blood scattered around a portion of the hallway. Papers were everywhere. And a wheelchair was tipped over nearby with no sign of it's occupant. In the midst of it all was a green porcupine, smirking down at the mess.

Blaze stormed up to him, letting her hands light up with fire. "What did you do, Peter?! What are you planning?!"

Peter kept his smirk. "I didn't do anything. This was Alexander, Butch, and Spike's work. They did a good job, I'd say. After all, Hannah needed them to stay out of her plan."

"You mean you'd go this far for some stupid figure skating competition?!" Blaze yelled back.

"Figure skating?" Amy asked.

Peter turned to her, frowning. He was surrounded. Amy had her hammer out now, Wave had her HUGE wrench, and Rouge was ready to start kicking.

"You didn't know? Cameron is Hannah's figure skating rival. They started arguing around elementary school about who was going to make it farther. When Cameron started getting ahead of Hannah, she left it to me to even the odds." He said.

"You've never stopped, though. Even now, when there's practically no way Cameron will be able to skate again. It's time you got a taste of your own medicine!" Blaze said.

Peter's eyes widened as the girls started closing in.

---

It didn't take long to take care of business. Peter passes out in the first 3 seconds, and only had some nasty bruises at the end of it.

The janitor sighed. "I didn't see anything. Now go to the nurse's office. Your friends are there." He held up Cam and Kevin's bags to them, all of their contents in the proper places. "I'll bring the wheelchair down there, and then report that this young man saw all the blood and passed out."

The girls smiled at the janitor, and Amy took the bags from him. As they started running off, Rouge turned and gave the janitor a wink. "You're the best."

As the girls went around the corner, the janitor began to finish his cleaning. "'Bout time someone gives that boy a good whack…"

---

**Haha! Peter got beat up! X3**

**Sorry for the slow release! Unfortunately it'll be like this for a while, since there's school and all… BUT! Any days off or weekends that I have free, I'll be working hard to get you another chapter!**

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**Thanks to:**

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**49 Reviews! YOU ARE ALL LOVED!!! X3**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 21

Cam laid in the nurse's office and watched the nurse bandage Kevin up. He had gotten a lot of bruises along his face and torso, along with cuts here and there from where punches had cut him. She had a lot of bruises, too, as well as a concussion. The blood in the hallway came from a knife Alexander had pulled on her- another stupid switchblade that traumatized her with more of those stupid flashbacks. Just thinking about it made her remember.

_Flaskback_

_It was second grade. Cam and her Mom had just gotten back from skating practice, and she was doing well for only being 7 years old. Hannah had even started glaring at her. And that's always a good sign. Since it was winter, it had already gotten dark outside._

_Cam's mother, Elizabeth, started making dinner. Once she got to a good place to leave the kitchen, Elizabeth walked into the family room where Cam was practicing jumping and staying balanced._

"_Cameron, sweetie. You're practicing quite a lot. Why don't you take a little break before dinner, hm?" She suggested._

_Cam smiled up at her and shook her head. "Uh-uh. I'm gonna be the best skater in the world!"_

_Elizabeth chuckled a little bit at her daughter, smiling sweetly. "Keep practicing, Honey. I know you can do it if you want it that badly. So, when you perform, I'll be there watching you. But I'll always be proud of you, okay?" She kissed Cam on the forehead. "And your Father will always be proud of you, too. Remember, he wants you to get good grades in school."_

_Cam nodded. Two years before, her father was killed by a gang member. The gang suspected was very prejudice against Echidnas, with unknown reasoning. Cam and Elizabeth were with him when it happened. The gangster jumped out of an alley with a switchblade. Cam's Dad told Elizabeth to pick up Cam and run. That's just what she did, while he tried to fight the man off. Cam saw him fall down just before they turned the corner and got to their car._

_Elizabeth had a good job, though, and was able to support Cam, as well as send her to a good boarding school. Part of her will included taking out part of their savings to have Cam live in the dorms in case something happened to her. They had no close relatives. Both parents were only children, and didn't keep in touch with the rest of their families. Cameron's grandparents had all passed away due to disease complications. And Cameron had a good bond with her figure skating coach, who was a teacher at the high school._

_A timer went off in the kitchen, and Elizabeth stood up, going and turning the heat off in the oven. There was a knock at the door._

"_Oh, I wonder who that could be…?" Elizabeth wondered as she approached the door. As she went to open it, it was forced the rest of the way open. Elizabeth screamed._

_Cam looked over at the man making his way into the door. She immediately recognized the black bat with an ugly scar on his face. She ran into the kitchen and grabbed the phone, dialing 911._

"_911, what's your emergency?" The operator asked calmly._

"_The man who killed my Daddy is in my house! He pushed the door open!" Cam said hastily._

_Back in the living room, she heard her mother yell something and run towards the drawer where they kept their gun._

"_Alright, Sweetie, calm down. Are you in a safe place? Does he have a weapon? What's your address?" The operator asked._

"_No, I'm in the next room and there's no door! He has a knife!" Cam said before rushing out the address. _

_She could see her mom shaking with the gun, pointing it at the man._

"_I'm sending help now. Try to get to a safe place, and stay on the phone with me if you can." The operator said into the phone._

_Elizabeth dropped the gun by accident. She watched as the world started going in slow motion. The man took his chance, running at Elizabeth and stabbing her in the stomach._

"_MOMMY!" Cam dropped the phone, leaving the operator trying to tell her to stay put. She ran over to Elizabeth and tried to stop the bleeding with her hands. Both of them were crying._

_The man grabbed Cam and made her look at him. "Remember my face. Remember what I did to your parents. I want to see you when you're older. I want to see how you react then, and how you grow with this ugly memory." With that, he let her go, and ran out the door. Sirens approached the house a few seconds later._

_Cam crawled over to her mother, trying to suppress the flow of blood that had made a pool around her. _

"_Cameron… I love you, Sweetie." Elizabeth said weakly._

_Cam was crying so hard that she could barely speak. "I love you too, Mommy… please don't leave me, Mommy. Please don't leave me too…"_

_Elizabeth smiled at her. "I'll always be with you, Cameron. Just… like your father." She kissed Cam on the forehead one last time before passing out._

"_NO! MOMMY!" Cam yelled before the paramedics rushed in, holding her back and taking her out of the house._

_Her mother died that night on the way to the hospital._

_End Flashback_

"Cam? Cam, what's wrong!? Cam!"

Cam looked up, realizing she was crying her eyes out. Kevin was sitting in front of her, looking very concerned. Cam tried to say she was okay, but just sobbed instead. No one was supposed to see her cry, ever. So she covered her face, but it was obvious that she was still crying between her shoulders shaking and the sobs and hiccups that started. She felt herself being pulled into a hug, and someone rubbing her back.

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me. Just let it out." Kevin said soothingly. He was all too aware that Cam never cried, and had a lot of emotion built up because of it.

---

The girls walked in, and saw what was happening, but decided not to butt in. They set the bags by the door. Kevin glanced over at them, not saying a word.

All of a sudden they heard a voice in their heads. "Don't freak out, just listen." It was Kevin's voice. "Sonic, Silver, and Shadow are under the influence of a charm spell. One way to break it is with a counter spell from another magic user. But Cameron and I are a little busy, obviously. The spell's weakness is awareness. Find a way to get the three out of the room, then convince the guys that they've been spelled. The last way is to convince them or to remind them that they love someone else."

The voice exited their heads. Kevin got a nod from the girls, who went back towards the dorm. Kevin continued comforting Cam, feeling his fur start to get wet. Not that he cared.

---

**Wow… Morbid flashback… so, why does this murderer look like Alexander?! Will the girls find a way to break the charm spell?! When will the murderer re-appear?! And why hasn't Peter gotten to the nurse's office yet?!**

**I almost cried writing the last part of the flashback… :'(**

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**Thanks to:**

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**HaveIgoneoffthedeependyet**

**ColurfulStar**

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**AlyssaCookie**

**GalexiatheChao**

**For reviewing!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 22

As the girls passed by Peter, he was starting to become conscious again. A swift blow to the head with Amy's hammer fixed that right up. They entered the dorm, and were sickened at the sight. Hannah, Anna, and Montana were making out with their respective boys. No one seemed to notice their presence, so Rouge came up with a plan.

"Wow. That Peter guy was passed out in the hallway, and there was a bunch of blood by him. I wonder what happened?" Rouge asked, raising her eyebrows at the other girls. They caught on quickly.

"I dunno. Looks like someone beat him up." Wave said.

They definitely had Hannah's attention now.

"He had a HUGE bump on his head, too. Wonder how that got there?" Amy asked.

"Well, it looked like there was a dent in the wall. Maybe that was it. You know, he probably got a concussion or some brain damage from that…" Blaze mentioned.

Hannah was out the door, with Anna and Montana close behind. As they left, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver tried to follow, but Wave shut the door and locked it, leaning on it so no one could get through.

"Hey. That was rude. We need to get out that door, too." Sonic said.

"No you don't, Sonic." Amy said. "All three of you are under a charm spell. Hannah did it."

"How do you know? Hannah said she has no powers. And I believe her." Sonic said.

"Kevin told us." Blaze explained. "Both he and Cam noticed it, and were about to use a counter-spell on it when Peter's goons came and beat them up. They're in the nurse's office right now. And they don't look too good. All the blood in the hallway? That was theirs. Cam had a huge cut on her arm and Kevin had little cuts all over him."

Shadow blinked a few times, but other than that none of them were fazed.

"Sonic, please, when have I ever lied to you?" Amy said, trying to hug him.

Sonic put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away. Not roughly, but it was enough. "Don't start with that Amy. Get over it. I don't love you. I never have, and I never will." His face and tone were stern and serious. And it broke Amy's heart just hearing it. Tears already started forming in her eyes.

"Well, fine, then!" She yelled, running past Sonic towards her room, running into his shoulder with hers as she went. "You can just marry that fake, and I won't be there for you to come crawling back to when she gets tired of you and you learn I was right!" She slammed the door to the girls' dorm wing, and another slam could be heard from her room's door.

---

Sonic stared after her for a second. He blinked a few times, then shook his head like he was getting something out of it. "Amy, wait!" He went into the girls' wing, and knocked on her door.

A muffled "What do you want now?" Came from inside.

"Amy, please let me in." Sonic said. A few seconds passed, and Amy opened the door. Her eyes were red and puffy.

"What?" She asked. "Did you forget to tear out my heart after you broke it?"

"I'm sorry I said that, Amy. …That wasn't me. That was whoever Hannah wanted me to be. But I'm not him anymore, I swear." Sonic said.

"Then how do you really feel?" Amy asked. "The way you've acted you would have said that eventually, anyway." She started to close the door, but Sonic stuck his foot in it.

"No, Amy… the truth is…" Sonic trailed off, at a loss for words.

Amy opened the door, waiting. "Well?"

Sonic couldn't think of anything else to do. He pulled her into a hug and connected their lips. Amy's eyes widened, and she pulled back for a second before kissing him again, closing her eyes. When they finally separated, Sonic had thought of what he'd wanted to say.

"I love you, Amy."

Amy hugged him tighter. "I love you too, Sonic."

---

Blaze watched Sonic walk into their wing, then turned to Silver.

"Well? Don't you believe us?" She asked.

Silver walked away, but Blaze followed. "Answer me, Silver." She demanded.

"No. I don't. All of you only have things to gain from making up a story like that. And Cam has been getting beaten up since elementary school. You should get over it." Silver said.

"Silver, what are you saying?! Ever since elementary school you've wanted to give Peter a taste of his own medicine! Don't you remember that? Hannah is his right hand. They'll work together on anything that will have benefit to them! You swore to me that you would rather die than end up like they are, now look at you! You could barely look at Montana without feeling sick before today!" Blaze argued.

"Why do you care so much?" Silver asked.

"We've been best friends since we met, Silver. You're not acting like yourself, you should know that!" Blaze continued.

Silver blinked a few times. "Blaze… Quit trying to confuse me."

"I'm not trying to confuse you, I'm trying to get your head on straight!" She hugged him. "Please, Silver."

Silver inhaled a bit, then shook his head like Sonic. He hugged her back. "Sorry, Blaze. I believe you. It won't happen again."

"Good." Blaze said, punching him in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Silver asked, rubbing the spot.

"For making out with Montana, idiot." Blaze said.

Silver sweatdropped. "I probably deserved that…"

---

Rouge stared at Blaze and Silver as they argued, then looked at Shadow and sighed.

"You're such an idiot, Shadow! How could you fall for such a cheap trick as a _charm_ spell?! The _Ultimate Lifeform_, brought down by something _that_ stupid! If you were planning on going down in history, it won't be on a positive note! You'll be known as the pushover who did unthinkable things for a _lie!_ You made absolutely no attempt to fight back, did you?! I'm insulted to have even been on a team with you!" Rouge ranted. Shadow tried to say something in between her sentences, but was cut off. Rouge finalized her point by smacking Shadow upside the head. _Hard._

Shadow shook his head, and his eyes turned back to normal. "What the…" He blinked a couple of times. "Rouge, where are my guns?" He asked calmly.

Rouge smirked at him. "In a safe somewhere. Probably Paraguay. GUN confiscated them, remember? Oh, and welcome back to the normal world."

Shadow made no comment, and sat back on the couch. "Hn." He wanted his gun.

---

**So, the spell has been lifted… but there are still many unanswered questions, as well as some new ones! How will Hannah react to her spell being broken?! Do Anna and Montana have powers?! How will Butch, Spike, and Alexander be punished?! What mysteries lie within the writings from that temple?! And what will happen now that Sonic and Amy have confessed to each other?!**

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**Thanks to:**

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**LexieTheHedgehog**

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**Ember113**

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**HaveIgoneoffthedeependyet**

**ColurfulStar**

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**GalexiatheChao**

**For reviewing!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hi, everyone! I'm REALLY sorry I haven't been getting chapters out- SCHOOL STINKS! I'll try harder to get things out more frequently… And since I can't write these chapters at school when I get time, I'll start drawing chapter covers and putting them on DeviantArt! I hope it will make up for it… So, anyhoo, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 23

The rest of the school week went by fairly quietly. Everyone else in the class had made it into choir, and not much happened between the Sonic gang and Peter's. Alexander, Butch, and Spike were given detention after school for a month. But Peter managed to bribe the teachers who ran study hall to let them out. Alexander had officially joined their group. There were death glares given every chance possible, and on sparring days in gym, those who took part usually came out with a lot of bruises.

Cam, Knuckles, and Kevin were making good progress on their translations. Omeletman had started getting the crazy idea of taking them to the temple where the writings were found, but hadn't announced it quite yet.

Cam seemed to enter a depression after her "incident" with Alexander. Hannah and Mrs. White didn't help. Hannah seemed to speak louder whenever she spoke about figure skating- especially the progress that she was making. Mrs. White kept talking to her about physical therapy, and how Cam was losing so much muscle in her legs. She also pointed out the weight that Cam was losing from not having an appetite and the muscle loss.

Sonic and Amy finally got into a relationship. They were still happy, and planned to go on a date on Saturday- the current day.

---

The Babylon rogues, Sonic, Amy, Shadow, and Silver were out having a race. Amy and Wave didn't necessarily want to race- but Wave had to go with her team as the mechanic, and Amy wanted to keep an eye on Sonic as well as give Wave some company.

Cam, Knuckles, and Kevin sat around the table, passing around the pages of their packets when nothing else could be translated by the individual. Kevin stopped at a specific page.

"Cam, weren't you looking at this page before?" He brought it over to her, showing it to her.

Cam nodded. "Yeah. It says _spells _at the top. Which is weird, because the only list of spells I know of is in your book, Kevin."

Knuckles became interested in the conversation.

"I noticed something else about these things. Look in the upper-right hand corner, where a corner of a section of wall would be in the temple. There are symbols there that aren't writing."

The shuffling of paper could be heard as they inspected this theory.

"Wait." Cam said. "One of these looks exactly like the one on my staff."

She dug around in her bag, pulling out the pendant. The design that looked like a cross between a flower and a sun exactly matched the one on the page.

Kevin saw this, and pulled out his spell book. A star shape on it's covers was the same as that on the papers.

An emerald shape was all that was left, clearly representing the Master Emerald, and Knuckles along with it.

Rouge wandered over, leaning on top of Knuckles. "So, Knuckie, I'm guessing you found a word too big for you? You look so confused." She giggled.

"No." Kevin said. "These things are getting a little freaky. There's something about spells here, and now it looks like we're more connected to whatever's written here than we originally thought."

Knuckles pushed Rouge off of him, so she went over by Cam and glanced at the paper in front of Cam, raising an eyebrow.

"Spells, eh? What kind of spells are we talking about?" She asked, interested.

"Well, let me look…" Cam trailed off, picking up the paper and reading what it said out loud. "Plant growing… a series of spells that were used in rituals…" She stopped there.

Kevin observed from over her shoulder. "I couldn't read any of that. This is all you. And there has to be more than those. I can at least see that."

Cam didn't comment, she was still staring at the page.

"That one? I couldn't read it either." Knuckles mentioned.

"…There's no way that this can be legitimate. There's just no way." Cam said, setting the paper down.

"Hm? Why is that?" Blaze asked, overhearing as she passed by.

"It says there's a spell here that can heal any injury, bring a person back to one hundred percent. And then the last one… it's even worse. It says you can bring someone back to life." Cam explained.

There were a few sharp intakes of breath. Cam continued.

"But, there are conditions to the last two. They'll drain the user dramatically. The maximum number of times someone could use the healing one is about 5 before they'd pass out- and that's pushing the limit. If they use the spell that will bring someone back to life, it will knock the caster out for 3 days. And the person that's brought back to life has to have just died. If their body hasn't necessarily shut down completely, then they can still be brought back. It won't work on those who have been dead for too long."

There was a long, drawn out pause.

"…Do these spells look like the ones we already know?" Kevin asked her.

The others looked at them in confusion.

"Yeah. It looks like it." Cam nodded, turning to the people glancing at her, confused. "Kevin and I can perform spells together and make them stronger. So, for instance, with a spell to bring snow, I alone could get a few inches. But if Kevin helps me, we could summon a blizzard."

"…I wouldn't mind a random snow day." Tails said from across the room. Apparently he had been listening.

"So… should we try it…?" Kevin asked.

"We might as well…" Cam said. "But you're supposed to get really worn out trying a new spell, remember?"

"I've been using magic since I started reading. Of course I remember. Now tell me what to say." Kevin urged.

Cam glanced over at the crowd that had accumulated. "You might want to give us some room. Last time I tried a new spell, it blew up in my face."

Kevin laughed. "It sure did. She was supposed to heat up some water. Not only did it explode in her face, but she got water all over the classroom- the ceiling, the students, the teacher, everything."

This got a few giggles.

"Okay. You say "Xoucadw cawxk." And think of the person you want to heal. Ready?" She asked, maneuvering her chair to face him and putting her hands out to him.

Kevin sat down as well, taking her hands. They closed their eyes, completely in-synch with one another. A golden glow started to shine from Cam's hands, mixing with the light blue one coming from Kevin's.

"Xoucadw cawxk." They said together, still in unison.

The glows in their hands suddenly shot up Cam's arms and covered her entire body. It stuck around for about 5 seconds before fading away. After it faded, the two echidnas came out of their trance, rather ungracefully. They immediately slumped over, catching their breath like they had just run a marathon.

When he had gotten enough of his breath back, Kevin looked up at Cam. "Do you think it worked?" He asked.

Cam looked up as well, giving him the most serious look she's ever given. "What do you think?"

The onlookers seemed disappointed, muttering things to one another as they began to move on with what they were doing before. As they all were turned away, their heads snapped back over to the two Echidnas at a loud "OW!" resonating from that direction.

"What'd you do that for?!" Kevin yelled, looking up at Cam as he grabbed his shin.

Cam tried to hold back the tiniest of smiles that was creeping onto her face. "What did I do…?" She asked.

"You kicked me! It hurt!" Kevin yelled.

Cam started grinning at him. A look of realization popped onto everyone's faces.

"Oh my god… Cam… you kicked me!" Kevin grinned, completely forgetting about the pain in his shin and standing up.

"Heck yeah, I kicked you!" Cam yelled. She jumped out of her wheelchair and tackle-hugged Kevin.

It wasn't long before the two were trapped in the middle of a giant group hug.

---

Meanwhile, the race had just ended for the rest of the dorm-mates. As they started walking back with their extreme gear in tow, they passed by the skating rink and noticed Hannah walking in, closely followed by her lackeys.

"Let's go check this out." Sonic said, not quite as a command, but not as a question, either.

When they walked in, they were given a skeptical look by the employee manning the skate rental area.

"You know, this is an ICE skating rink. You're not going to be able to use your extreme gear here." The clerk said.

"We know." Shadow said.

They entered the rink and started to watch Hannah practice, getting madder every minute.

---

"I have to tell coach about this." Cam said after the initial shock was gone.

"Then let's get our gear and get a head start to tell the guys at the race!" Tails said, motioning to Espio, Knuckles, and Kevin.

They nodded and set off right away. The girls, on the other hand, started to walk to the rink. They kept up an excited conversation, until Peter, Alexander, Butch and Spike stepped out in front of them.

"I don't know how you're walking, Cameron. But we could use a favor from you and your friends." Peter said.

"Not a chance!" Cam yelled, pulling out her staff immediately.

Blaze lit up her hands, and Rouge got ready to fight as well, pulling out her cell phone and pressing the speed dial button for Shadow's phone. In a matter of seconds, the phone was on the ground.

Rouge was fighting Butch, but starting to lose as he adjusted to try to grab hold of her.

Blaze was having a hard time with Spike's though scales. He didn't get burnt, and he was starting to try to grab her as well.

Cam was having a strength match against Alexander, one person on each side of her staff. Alexander won, and hurled her over to Peter, who held her in place.

"NO! Let me go!" Cam screamed.

"Ahh!" Blaze yelled as she got restrained by Spike. "Get away from me!"

Rouge was somewhat more successful. She flew up and out of Butch's reach. But Alexander flew up and grabbed her himself. "Sorry, Babe. I got a job to do." Alexander told her as he flew down and handed her off to Butch.

"Get your disgusting hands off of me!" Rouge yelled.

"ALEXANDER, YOU SON OF A- mmph!" Cam was cut off by Peter's hand.

"Shut up!" Peter ordered, shaking her. "OW!" He shook his hand as Cam bit him.

"I'll get her to shut up." Alexander said, flipping out his knife and holding it up to her. "Remember this?"

Cam froze and started shaking. Just as Alexander held it up to her face, an unseen force knocked it out of his hand and into an alley.

"What in the- Ugh!" Alexander was knocked over by a large, spiked fist.

At the same time, a blue-green glow surrounded Spike, throwing him away and off of Blaze.

Peter was knocked away by a black blur, and Butch now fell victim to the invisible thing.

"Back off!" Silver yelled, getting in between Blaze and Spike.

Spike pulled himself out of the rubble he was in. "Boss… what do we do?" Spike asked.

In the middle of being pummeled by what he couldn't see, Butch looked over at Peter as well.

"Plan B!" Peter yelled, standing up. His hands started glowing a sickly green color.

Butch and Spike's scales started changing in texture, becoming rougher and stronger.

---

Butch started snapping randomly around him. Espio, still invisible, dodged the attacks that came his way until he got a chance. He gave a swift uppercut to the roof of Butch's mouth. As Butch recovered, he received a sharp blow to the back of his head, making him go unconscious. Espio made himself visible, keeping an eye on the croc.

---

Silver was having a much easier time with Spike. He used his telekinesis to slam Spike wherever Blaze instructed.

"Slam him into the ground a few times." Blaze said.

Silver did so, and as it happened, Blaze glanced around. She spotted a manhole cover and got an evil idea. She ran over to it, lifting it off.

"Silver! Throw him down here!" Blaze yelled over to him.

Silver looked at her and laughed. "You have the best ideas." And with a swoosh, Spike was in the sewers, swimming around in the sewage.

Espio walked over. "This one is waking up. Do you mind?" He asked, motioning towards Butch.

"Gladly" Silver answered.

Butch joined his brother in the sewage.

---

Shadow started running towards Peter, but was driven back by a horrible smelling green liquid that made the pavement steam as it landed on the road.

"Stay back, Hedgehog. This has nothing to do with you." Peter warned.

"Shadow, Peter can shoot acid out of his hands. Don't do anything risky." Cam said from where she had been dropped on the ground.

"It doesn't matter." Shadow argued. "He needs to be taught a lesson."

Shadow took off towards Peter again, dodging acid as he went. He started circling Peter. As soon as he got the opportunity, he gave Peter a blow to the back. But as soon as he landed a hit, he was driven back by more acid. It wasn't until 5 minutes later when Shadow finally managed to knock Peter out.

Silver assigned himself "clean-up" duty, and Peter went into the open manhole after Butch and Spike.

Shadow approached Cam and kneeled down by her. "Are you alright? Where's your wheelchair?" He asked.

"I should be asking you that." Cam responded, grabbing his arm. She turned it over and revealed a wound. "The acid is just going to keep eating away at you until nothing's left. It needs treated now."

"Silver! Blaze!" Cam yelled to them. "Get a lot of water and a first aid kit!"

Silver and Blaze nodded at her, rushing into a nearby store.

---

Alexander wiped himself off. "I'm gonna make you regret that." He said while glaring at Knuckles.

"I'd like to see you try." Knuckles said back.

The two started an air fight, flying in between buildings trying to get a better angle on the other. Occasionally they would collide, getting into an evenly-matched fist fight each time before splitting up again. During their fight, Rouge got up to the roof of one of the buildings they were fighting by. As Alexander reached the right spot, Rouge jumped down, drill driving him into the ground.

"Don't you ever call me Babe again, you sick creep." Rouge demanded. She emphasized her point by kicking him in the gut, sending him into the open lid of a dumpster. He slid down inside, and the force of the impact made the lid closed.

"You didn't have to do that." Knuckles said as he landed by her. "I was winning."

"Sure you were, Knuckie." Rouge teased. "But I needed some payback."

"Hmph." Was Knuckles' only comment.

---

It didn't take long for Blaze to come running out with a first-aid kit. Silver came out soon after using his telekinesis to lug a bucket of water and some towels.

Cam took water and dumped it over the wounds, washing the acid out. Afterwards she wrapped them to stop the bleeding.

"Stop getting hurt for me." Cam said. "I've had enough of that."

Shadow stared at her. "This was only two incidents. It's not a big deal."

Cam grabbed her locket. "My parents were only 'two incidents' too. And that's a pretty big deal."

Shadow grabbed onto Cam's arms, trying to get her to look at him. "What are you talking about? You keep mentioning your parents… tell me what happened."

Blaze and Silver glanced at each other, then walked away to give them some space, talking with Knuckles and Rouge.

Cam refused to look at Shadow. "No. I won't tell you. I can't talk about it."

Before Shadow could talk back, a voice appeared next to them.

Alexander stood there, somewhat covered in garbage, and appeared to be bothered by his back. He had retrieved his knife and had it flipped out.

"Her parents were both murdered by a gang leader, right in front of her eyes. After the second murder, her mother's, the man told her to grow up remembering him, and to hate him. The man who murdered them was caught by the police, and sentenced to death. He killed both of them with a switchblade…" Alexander explained, holding up the one he had.

"Specifically… the one I'm holding now." He finished.

Cam stared at Alexander, shaking violently. "How… how do you know that?"

Alexander smirked. "The man who killed your parents was my father, Cameron."

He was taken over by a blue-green glow, slammed into the ground, and sent down the manhole. Blaze, Silver, Knuckles, Espio and Rouge ran over.

"Are you alright?" Espio asked.

"I'll be fine…" Shadow said. He glanced over at Cam.

Cam's face was blank; expressionless. As she blinked, tears started falling down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them off. "Let's go. I still need to talk to coach." Cam said, still void of any emotion.

Shadow and Silver glanced around.

"What happened to your wheelchair, Cam?" Silver asked.

"I don't need it." Cam answered, standing straight up like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What the-?" Silver blurted out.

"How are you standing?" Shadow asked.

"I found a spell. It's magic." Cam said. She started walking towards the ice rink, and was followed.

"You'll have to tell me more about this later." Shadow said.

"Yeah. Sure." Cam answered, still monotone.

---

After entering the rink, Cam went straight to Mrs. White's office. The coach was turned around in her chair again, and only heard someone walk in. She was staring out at the rink at Hannah.

"What is it? Who could possibly want something from me? My star skater was crippled and can never skate again, and now her rival is here, practically rubbing it in my face." Mrs. White snapped.

"Coach. Where's my bag? I'm ready to skate again." Cam said.

Mrs. White spun around, and her eyes widened. "Cameron! What are you… how are you… ahem…" She stopped to clear her throat and stood up. "Your bag is in your locker. I expect a full explanation from you after practice. Now get down there."

Cam ran down to get her things, and was ready in 5 minutes. She stepped out onto the ice and started to approach. Anna and Montana's eyes grew twice as big as they should be.

Hannah's coach heard other skates and turned around to lash out at the person. "This is PRIVATE rink time, little girl! Get off of the ice! It isn't play-" She was cut off as she realized who it was.

"Yeah. I know it's private rink time. This is _my_ time slot, which I see you've taken full advantage of. Thanks for keeping my seat warm. Now if you wouldn't mind…" Cam pointed towards the exit of the rink.

Hannah's coach was speechless, and simply started skating off. She left Hannah standing there in the middle of the ice by herself. Cam skated up to her.

"I'm back, Hannah." Cam said, mocking her.

"But… how…?" Hannah asked, standing motionless.

"You should know, Hannah. It's magic. I'm healed." Cam responded.

"So, you're using magic to skate well?" Hannah accused. Cam laughed in her face, skating around Hannah, and stopping at the other side. She repeated this motion as she continued to talk.

"No. There's no magic to improve yourself like that. It only brought me back to 1oo percent. That's the difference between you and me, Hannah. You always use other people and magic to get what you want. Ever since my parents died, I've been taking care of myself. I was alone thanks to you. But that made me stronger. That's why I'm better than you out here. When it's just you, me, and the ice, you have no support. No one can just do it for you. Using magic would disqualify you. Even off the ice, I'm better than you. And you've tried again and again by using your lackeys to get me out of your way. You're out of luck, Hannah. If I get injured, I'll be healed. If you try to break my spirit, I'll remember my mother and push on for her. If you spread rumors about me, I won't be hurt by them. If you try to take my friends away from me, I'll get them back. You can't break my heart, either. It's been broken too long to hurt much more."

"…I'll find a weakness in you, Cameron. Just wait. I'll find one, and crush you with it." Hannah responded.

Cam skated right next to Hannah, put her hand on her shoulder and leaned in to talk straight into her ear. "You lose, Hannah. Now get off of my ice."

---

**I'M SO SORRY, AGAIN, FOR NOT UPDATING!!! I almost had this chapter done, but it was REALLY short. So I got some inspiration in my evil author brain, and made it longer! And just so you know… this is my longest chapter yet! YAY!!! *confetti flies* Remember, I'm open to constructive criticism! I LOVE IT! Hit me with your best shot! Seriously! Even if I spelled something wrong that the computer didn't pick up! Or if I used the wrong shade of green! Really! …Of course, praise is always a **_**wonderful**_** motivator to update as well… **

**As of this time, I don't have the story cover up yet. But I have most of the line art done, and need to add in the OC characters to the background. But it's getting there! If you want to see my drawings anyway, go to .com and type in "Amethystuchiha", without the quotation marks. You can also go to .com/ if you want the direct link. I will edit the chapter once it's up! If you have a deviantart account, please please PLEASE watch me! It will make all our lives easier…**

**REVIEWS ARE LOVED AND WILL GET YOU OXYGEN COOKIES! :D**

**Thanks to:**

**nerf elite 228 (anonymous reviewer)**

**Lovewizard11 (anonymous reviewer)**

**Lizzy (anonymous reviewer)**

**SoNiCrOxMaIsOx**

**Commander of the Rabbids**

**Knucklesfanforlife**

**Cheetay**

**LexieTheHedgehog**

**HaosBlossum**

**Ember113**

**Kyogreperson**

**HaveIgoneoffthedeependyet**

**ColurfulStar**

**EchidnaGirl**

**AlyssaCookie**

**GalexiatheChao**

**For reviewing!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey, guys! I'm trying to mix updating sooner and making the chapters longer… the lineart of the story cover is up. Tell me if you have any suggestions. **

*****Also, tell me what YOU want to happen in the story! Just add it to a review! I'm always adding and erasing sections because I wonder if the readers will like it or not, and it makes the wait time between chapters LONGER! I work MUCH faster with a goal in mind!*****

**(And P.S.- … This doesn't include adding one of your OC's! ;) )**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 24

Hannah sat in the dorm she shared with Anna, Montana, Peter, Alexander, Butch and Spike, seething.

"Hannah, don't let her get to you. Those were empty words, and entirely untrue." Montana urged, trying to calm her friend down.

"Yeah." Anna agreed. "You should just ignore what she said. She's a witch, after all. She hasn't even gotten to her triples. She's behind you, right?"

Hannah snapped a glare over at the two. "You two don't get it! The only reason she hasn't learned how to do a triple yet is she's been spending all that time mastering her spins and spirals! She's way more flexible than me, and flexibility makes better moves and better points!"

The two flunkies jumped a little at the outburst. But they knew what would get Hannah back to being more peaceful.

"You're way better than her off the ice, though, Hannah." Anna urged. "I heard Cameron's been flirting with two of the guys in that group for a while now."

"Oh! I heard last night she collapsed from exhaustion right after you left. She's a weakling. She only managed one triple loop…" Montana added.

"That freaking bitch…" Hannah growled.

Anna went over to Montana and whispered into her ear. "Montana! Hannah's been trying to get a triple loop for two weeks now. And Cameron only worked on it for one practice before now."

Montana sweatdropped. Before she could say anything more, Peter emerged from his room, his fur still damp from the multiple showers he took.

"You have a plan to get back at them yet, Peter?!" Montana asked.

"Yeah. I have a friend up north. He's a male figure skater, and he's moving down here. I arranged for him to stay in our dorm. We can use him to get on the inside of their group, and tear them apart." Peter responded.

"Sounds like a plan." Hannah smirked, relaxing and reclining in her seat. "Tell me more."

Peter sat down next to her. "His name is Hiko the Husky. What we'll do is we'll have him pretend to not like us and become friends with the people in their group. Then, once he has their trust, he does something to break up the group, and put the blame on someone else. That way he'll stay on their good side."

"I like it." Hannah approved, nodding. She had a smirk plastered on her face. "When can I meet this person?"

"He's at the ice rink right now. Wants to get used to the new rink before he comes here." Peter replied.

"Good. I was about to go to practice, anyway." Hannah got up and started to walk towards her room. "But Peter…" She stopped and looked back at him. "You do realize this is Cameron's practice time?"

"I know." Peter said.

---

Amy, Rouge, Wave, and Blaze sat in the bleachers talking as Cam skated around the rink. Cam had mastered her triple loop already, and was now attempting a triple flip. She was doing well for her first try, but Mrs. White kept up her drill sergeant attitude.

The girls on the bleachers were talking about Amy and Sonic's date.

"So, where'd you go?" Rouge asked.

"We went to the park and had a picnic." Amy said, smiling.

"Didn't it rain last night…?" Blaze murmured.

"Well, what happened?" Wave asked, getting straight to the point.

"I'm getting there, Wave. So we were having our picnic, and Sonic was eating all his chilli dogs like they were made of oxygen. And then, right when we finish eating, it starts pouring! So we grab what's still left out and run under a tree until the rain lets up. But it was raining so hard that we were already drenched, and I got cold, so sonic gave me his jacket. We ended up cuddling until the storm passed." Amy explained.

Amy received a collective "Aww!"

Blaze looked around the rink, something catching her eye. "Hey, who's that?" Blaze asked, nudging Wave in the side to get her attention.

"I don't know. He has skates on. But he's just watching Cam." Wave commented. This got everyone to turn and look at him.

Leaning against the wall of the rink was a pure white husky with blue eyes. He wore a blue and white jacket, black pants, and blue skates with a white stripe down the middle.

"Is he albino? Shouldn't he be blind, then?" Amy asked.

"The way he's watching Cam says otherwise." Rouge observed.

---

"Cameron! That landing was sloppy! Do it again! And do it right!" Mrs. White ordered.

"Okay, coach." Cam nodded. Not only was she used to these kinds of orders, but she had a new drive that made her want to master her moves faster. Now that she was up on her feet, she wasn't just going to beat Hannah, she was going to destroy her at the contest. That thought alone made her smile.

She built up speed, turning, stepping, and jumping on her right foot. She landed perfectly, and skated over by Mrs. White after the jump was done.

Mrs. White sighed. "Good work, Cameron. Go get a drink. But you'll have to do that perfectly five times in a row before I'll let you move on."

Cam skated over to the wall, where she had left her water bottle. As she took a drink, the white husky walked over to her.

"Good job. When did you start learning that?" He asked.

"Today. May I know who's asking?" Cam replied.

"Hiko. Hiko the Husky. And you are?" Hiko asked.

"Cameron. Cameron the Echidna." She answered.

"Well, Cameron, nice to meet you." Hiko smiled.

Mrs. White walked over. "Cameron, I thought we were clear, no socializing during practice."

"Oh. Sorry, coach." Cam scratched the back of her head, skating back out into the middle of the rink.

"So, you're the infamous Coach White." Hiko commented.

"Yes, yes I am. Are you the boy who's switching to our rink and going to Mobius Academy starting monday?" Mrs. White interrogated.

"That's me." Hiko responded.

"I'll see you in class, then." Mrs. White said. "Cameron! You're in luck. You've made enough progress today, and this young man needs to get used to the ice. Pack up." She called.

"Okay!" Cam called back, grabbing her water and stepping off the ice.

As Cam finished packing, Amy, Wave, Blaze, and Rouge walked over. They started to leave the rink just as Hannah walked in. Cam and Hannah's shoulder's collided, and they exchanged glared as they walked past.

Hannah went out to the rink and skated out by Hiko.

"I'm guessing you're Hiko?" Hannah asked.

"Hannah, right?" The male skater guessed.

Hannah nodded. "You already know the plan, right?"

"Yep. Leave it to me." He answered before skating ahead, trying a few jumps.

Hannah smirked as she left the ice. "Perfect."

---

**~Monday, Lunch time.~**

The lunch room was full of laughter, talking, and other forms of noise, nearly drowning out the very conversations that were making the noise. It was tofu day- but called hot dog day, because that's what the school _wanted _you to think the food was.

The 'sausages' ended up green. So most of the students loaded up their 'food' with condiments to drown out the flavor. Others simply didn't buy lunch, and packed instead.

Whenever a negative comment was made about the food, the offending student would receive a fierce glare from Selma, the lunch lady, a short, stocky white chicken. Their food would taste particularly nasty the next day as well.

As people made their way to their tables or crossed in between, there was a collision. Someone bumped into Shadow's arm, and he spilled his lunch all over a girl named Kiki. Shadow ignored this, though, and spun around to cuss out whoever bumped into him.

Kiki, on the other hand, who had been one of Hannah's underlings in years past, was laughed at by everyone else around her. She started crying and ran into the bathroom to try to clean herself off. It turns out Kiki was moving away the next day.

As Shadow sat down at the table, now with a detention slip, everyone else was there, talking about it.

"Hey, Shadow. Nice going back there. Did you see the look on her face?" Cam complimented, stabbing at her salad that had been packed.

Shadow looked bored and confused. He stole one of the chilli dogs Amy had packed for Sonic."Who?"

"Kiki." Blaze explained. "You spilled your lunch all over her. She deserved it, though."

"She made the worst names for me during middle school." Cam added.

"Hey, guys." Sonic cut in. "What sports are we all trying out for?"

Cam held back a laugh as she tried swallowing her food. "I hope you're not referring to me."

"I wasn't." Sonic assured.

"I was thinking of cheerleading." Amy mentioned casually.

Silver spit his drink out all over Espio. Cam and Blaze nearly choked on their food.

"Thanks." Espio said, wiping himself off.

"Amy, take my advice right now, stay out of cheerleading. That's where Hannah gets her lackeys and dumps them after she's done with them." Blaze warned.

"The only one keeping her from being one is skating." Cam added.

"Not to mention, becoming a cheerleader changes people." Silver explained. "Look." He pointed over to a table where all the current cheerleaders had congregated. "Some of those people were so nice before they were cheerleaders. They got good grades and were respected by most of the student body."

"Now all they care about is their appearance and having a boyfriend." Blaze finished.

"Ms. Batson is too happy and oblivious to notice. It isn't her fault, it's just passed down from the upperclassmen." Cam added.

Just then, Ms. Batson walked by, holding a stack of flyers. "So, are you all thinking about sports? I'm passing out flyers that show the details of the sports, although I recommend cheerleading for ladies. It's a lot of fun!" She said happily as she passed out the papers. "You can sign up using the form on the flyer, too." Ms. Batson concluded her talk with a smile, and went on to the next table.

"Will anyone sign up with me?" Amy asked. She received a lot of stares, could nothing convince her? She looked around at each girl.

"Amy, you know I can't. Skating takes up all of my time and energy." Cam said, shaking her head.

"Heck, no." Wave stated simply. "Those crazies would kill me. Considering the times we've… let's just say… 'joked' with them…"

Jet and Storm started cracking up.

"So… haha… much… hahaha…. Slime…" Jet managed to get out.

Wave giggled. "Good times…"

"There is no way anyone is putting me into one of those ridiculously tiny uniforms." Blaze said.

Amy turned and looked at Rouge.

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?"

"Will I get to hurt people?"

"Umm… Maybe?"

"…"

"Rouge?"

"I'll _try out_ with you, but no promises."

"Yay!" Amy pulled Rouge into a hug.

Mrs. White walked over and stole the flyer from Cam's hand. She checked off a box and gave it back to Cam. Cam looked at what was checked off.

"_Ballroom dancing?_ Why do you want me to take _ballroom dancing?_" She asked, giving her coach a weird look.

"First, you need to increase your artistry. You and I know that off of the ice you're a klutz. I want you to take ballet, but you need to get your dancing feet before that. At least in ballroom dancing, someone will be able to hold you up if you make a mistake and could fall. I don't need you injured." Mrs. White explained.

"But…" Cam got a stern look. "…okay, Coach…"

"I'm taking football." Knuckles announced. "You get to hit people without getting in trouble."

The people at the table sweatdropped.

"That sounds oddly appealing." Shadow thought out loud.

"Boss, can I do that, too?" Storm asked.

"Whatever, Storm. Go hit some jocks." Jet said, granting Storm permission.

"I think I'll join basketball again." Kevin said as he checked off the box with "basketball" by it.

"Same." Silver said, high 5-ing Kevin.

"Track is my sport." Sonic smirked.

"Indeed." Espio nodded. "Looks like we will both be on the track team, then."

"What happened to the extreme gear racing?!" Jet yelled, rather loudly. The lunchroom quieted down for a second, and a majority of heads turned towards the table.

"We blew up the rest of the competition's gear, remember?" Wave hissed.

"Oh. But how am I going to get a sport in? Stupid requirements…" Jet pondered.

"Ballroom dancing wouldn't be too hard on you, since you're used to using your feet for board controls." A voice said from behind them.

"And who are you?" Jet said as he looked skeptically up at Hiko.

"Sorry. I'm Hiko the Husky. I just moved here. Do you mind if I sit with you?" Hiko asked.

He was given the ok, and he sat down. "Like I said, it's probably the class where you need the least amount of athletic ability. I've heard the teacher is quite nice, as well. If you don't understand something, she'll explain it."

"Hmph. Whatever. I'm extreme gear racing, and that's that." Jet said defiantly, checking off the 'other' box.

"Me, too." Wave agreed, doing the same.

"Why do they even have a ballroom dancing class as a sport? And leave out extreme gear racing? That's just not right…" Tails pondered. He also checked off the 'other' box.

"Cam, I didn't know you were a klutz." Amy said, looking over at Cam.

Cam scratched the back of her head. "On skates, or walking, I'm fine. But I'll usually trip if I'm running somewhere that isn't a flat surface, or trying to multitask too much. But it took me a while to get where I am today." Cam got up from the table to throw away her trash.

Kevin tapped Tails on the shoulder. "Hey, Tails, how do you do this problem again? I got a really long decimal, and I don't think it's the right answer…" He held up the paper to Tails.

Tails sweatdropped. "Kevin, this is review. Over order of operations. PEMDAS?"

Kevin started at the page blankly. "PEM- who?"

Tails stared at him. "Kevin, what are your grades?"

"Um… I get A's in Language arts and Social Studies. But in Math and Science…" Kevin trailed off, not wanting to finish the statement.

"I got it." Tails said, laughing nervously.

"That's weird." Cam said, looking over the two's shoulders. "I have the opposite problem. Although I'm nowhere near as bad at Social Studies and Language arts as Kevin is with Math and Science."

"That's because Mr. Blackston is the best teacher to get for Social Studies, and you can't afford to fail your coach's class." Kevin argued.

The bell rang, and people started moving to their next class.

"Great. Social Studies." Cam said, unamused.

---

After school, Shadow approached Cam as she got ready to go to practice.

"You still need to tell me how you're walking." Shadow reminded her.

Cam sighed. "Okay." She dug into her bag and pulled out the page of translation with the spells on it. "This is a sheet- representing a section of wall in a temple- that is written only for me. Only I can read it. It has spells on here that are for my magic. Kevin can perform them as well, but I have to tell him what to say. There's a healing spell here that I used with Kevin's help to heal me."

"What other spells are on there?" Shadow asked, attempting to read the symbols scattered across the paper.

"You're wasting your time if you're looking for a ton of wonderful, interesting spells that are like a great surprise waiting to happen every time you look. If you want those kinds, ask Kevin. He has a whole book of them that he's been using since he could read. All that's in here is Healing, Growing plants, and a bunch of light-element attacks." Cam said, stuffing the papers back into her bag.

"You tried any other than the healing one?" Shadow said, curious.

Cam shrugged. "Rirrco Khuf."

A gold colored bubble appeared around Shadow, lifting him off the ground.

"What the- a bubble?! Get me out of this thing!" Shadow yelled, struggling to keep his balance inside the sphere.

"In English, it means… Bubble Trap, I think? Fitting name, right?" She asked, popping the bubble by simply poking it.

Shadow landed flat on his face. He got up, looking none too pleased. "Yeah."

"Oh… that probably hurt. Sorry." Cam said, looking away.

Shadow sighed and shook his head. "You're fine. I asked, didn't I?"

Vector walked in, carrying an envelope. He handed it to Cam. "Mail for you."

"Mail?" Cam asked. She took the letter, looking confused. "I never get mail, though…" She opened the envelope and looked inside. Shadow watched her read it. Her expression remained calm, but her eyes changed. It took him a moment to figure out what it was. Not joy. Not sadness. Fear. Pure, sheer fear.

"What does it say?" Shadow asked calmly.

"Nothing. It's just junk." Cam said, returning to the emotionless state that should have disappeared long ago. She started to put the letter into her bag. A gust of wind went by, and it wasn't in her hand anymore. Shadow was at the other side of the room, reading it.

_Cameron-_

_This is your last warning. Stay out of the figure skating competition, or your friends will start becoming involved._

"Someone's been threatening you?" Shadow asked as Cam ran over to get the letter back.

"Shh." Cam said, looking around to see if anyone had heard. Luckily, everyone else was in their rooms. "Come on. Follow me." She instructed, starting to go towards the rink. When they got on the street and out of people's earshot, Shadow asked again.

"Has someone threatened you like this before?" He asked.

"Of course they have. What are you talking about? I've gotten this before. I don't want you guys involved, though." Cam explained.

"Well, by the looks of this, we're already involved. All of _this_ over _figure skating_?"

"It goes deeper than that. Hannah will go to all lengths to get what she wants, and as long as I can remember, I'm the only one who has truly put up a fight. My parents were working for a rival company of Peter's, and before they passed away, were ahead. Then, you know about Alexander already…"

"That doesn't matter. It's still stupid. You could have died from what they've done to you. How can you just let that go?" Shadow argued.

"…I just have no choice. They'll never give up. They never have." Cam said, looking down.

"When is it going to get through your head that you're not alone anymore?" Shadow said gently, stopping her by holding her arm. He felt her shaking.

"I know I'm not alone. I'm just… afraid." Cam admitted, refusing to make eye contact.

"_What_ are you afraid of?" Shadow interrogated.

"I'm afraid of being pushed away again. I'm afraid you all might get hurt. I'm afraid that I might hurt you. Let's face it. You especially wouldn't have gotten hurt as many times as you have if you hadn't been with me. Kevin never would have been hit by that car." Shadow made Cam face him and look him in the eye.

"If I wasn't with you that first time, you would have been mugged or raped. The way those men were acting, probably both. The second time I was hurt you and the other girls would have been used by Peter for who knows what. You saved Kevin's life after he was hit by that car. You don't deserve what's happening to you. You never deserved it. So stop punishing yourself for things you couldn't help."

Cam stood there for a few seconds. Her knees gave out, and Shadow caught her, helping her sit down. She kept a hand on him for support, still shaking. She couldn't talk, and her breathing was shaky. Shadow pulled her into a hug, and felt her breathing become steadier. When Cam felt better, she pulled away.

"Thanks." She said. "I needed that."

"You're welcome." Shadow replied. Then an idea popped into his head. "What are you doing after practice on Friday?"

"Nothing. There's the competition on Saturday, though. Why?" Cam asked, curious.

"You'll see." Shadow said.

---

**Aaaaaaaand DONE! Phew! That was road block, after road block, after road block. Sorry if it's a little random because of that. So, where's Hiko come in in all of this? What's Shadow planning? What are Hannah and Peter planning? Will these plans collide? Will Cam be able to reach her goals by Saturday? Who will make what teams, and what's this ballroom dancing class like? How IS that Tofu cooked?! **_**Will I manage to update sooner than usual?!**_

**FIND OUT! When the answer to the last question is revealed!**

**REVIEWS ARE LOVED AND WILL GET YOU OXYGEN COOKIES! :D**

**Thanks to:**

**nerf elite 228 (anonymous reviewer)**

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**SonicXfan1**

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**For reviewing!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Alright, everyone! Chapter 25 is UP! I'm really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really REEEEAAAALLLLLYYYY sorry for such the long wait! I hope I can make it up to you over spring break! But, to be fair, I've had a ton ton ton ton TON of school work! All of my projects should be done now. Just watch, I'll get another. Thank you for your patience! I love you all! 3 **

*****Tell me what YOU want to happen in the story! Just add it to a review! I'm always adding and erasing sections because I wonder if the readers will like it or not, and it makes the wait time between chapters LONGER! I work MUCH faster with a goal in mind!*****

**(And P.S.- … This doesn't include adding one of your OC's! ;) )**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 25

**-Cheerleading Try-outs-**

Amy stood against the wall, waving her pompom slowly back and forth as she waited.

"Who knew these things were so amusing?" Amy asked in her trance.

"You'd better put that down, or it'll sap your brain." Rouge said.

Amy stuck her tongue out at Rouge. "Nice try."

"Okay, everyone! Line up!" Ms. Batson called, waving her pompoms around.

The current cheerleaders, Anna and Montana at their head, lined up. All of them were in FAR too revealing clothing, despite there not being any boys there in the first place. Amy and Rouge stood at the end of the line, opposite of the other new girls who were looking around, somewhat clueless.

"Okay, we're going to learn the SCORE cheer!" Ms. Batson announced, standing in front of the girls. "We're gonna start with our feet together. On the first letter, S, we'll step our right leg out. As our right leg steps out we'll take our left arm, put it behind our head, it's as if you were in a high "V" position, and you bend that right behind your head. This arm on your right is going to go into the low "V" position. So this motion we're going to hit on 'S'." She instructed, doing the moves as she explained them.

The potential cheerleaders followed her motions. They moved back to having their feet together.

"So, we're gonna go ahead and hit…" Mrs. Batson started as they all went and did the motion together. As their feet landed in front of them a resonating "_**S**_!" Filled the room.

"There we go, ladies! Nice volume!" Mrs. Batson praised as she went on explaining the rest of the letters.

When Ms. Batson felt that all the girls had the hang of the cheer, she waved her pompoms in the air. "Alright, ladies! Now the try-outs start! Each one of you will perform that cheer we just learned individually, and then I'll show you a move, which you will attempt to copy!"

Of course, the girls who had already been cheerleaders knew all of this. They passed their try-outs, but had a very bored aura about them as they cheered. Then Ms. Batson got to the new recruits.

"Rouge the Bat!" The happy teacher called.

Rouge strutted out to the spot where she was to do the cheer. "_**S! C! O! R! E! Score, Fighters, Score!"**_ Rouge did the cheer perfectly, and louder than all of the returning cheerleaders.

"That was _wonderful_, Rouge!" Ms. Batson praised. Rouge got glares from all the cheerleaders. Ms. Batson pulled two ladders out, and placed them about a foot and a half apart. "Now, since you're a bat, if you make the team, then you're going to top our pyramid." Ms. Batson explained, walking a few feet away from the ladders. "Like so." The teacher spread her wings, bent her knees, then kicked off into a large back flip, landing with her feet balancing on the ladders, her pompoms in the air. "Now, I don't expect you to get this right away. We can work on it more later."

Rouge smiled at the teacher. "Don't worry. I got this." Rouge ended up not only completing the move, but she added in more mid-air acrobatics on the way to the top.

"Spectacular, Rouge! You are most certainly on the team!" The happy teacher said, applauding. Rouge glided down from the top of the ladders, and Ms. Batson moved them back to where they were.

"Prosephone the Cat?" Ms. Batson called.

A light blue cat with long, curly hair stepped forward. Her posture was like a princess'. "I like being called Rose, but it doesn't matter too much."

"Okay, then, Rose. Go ahead, whenever you're ready." Ms. Batson urged.

"S! C! O! R! E! Score, Fighters, Score!" The cat did the moves perfectly, but didn't quite have the volume.

"Rose, are you an only child?" Ms. Batson asked out of the blue.

The blue cat looked confused. "Yeah. How can you tell?"

"You act very mature for your age. Tell me, was that your loudest?" Ms. Batson explained.

"Umm… I think so." The cat said.

"Then try again, dear. Make it louder than that. Pretend you're at a football game, it's in full swing. People are talking and cheering, the announcer is talking over the speakers, the band is playing. You want to be heard. Your parents are there to see you and hear you cheer, but they're in the back of the bleachers. Let them hear you! Go!" The bat encouraged.

Prosephone closed her eyes, visualizing what the teacher had described. She took a big breath in. "_**S!! C!! O!! R!! E!! Score!, Fighters!, SCORE!"**_ The words could be heard down the hall and through the walls. The aqua cat opened her eyes, bewildered. "Did _I_ do that?" She asked.

"Yes, you did! Great job, Rose, wonderful!" The bat praised. "SO wonderful, in fact, that I'll count that as your move! Now, Amy Rose the Hedgehog?" Ms. Batson called.

"Yep!" Amy said, running up.

"Whenever you're ready." The teacher said, smiling at Amy.

"_**S! C! O! R! E! Score, Fighters, Score!"**_ Amy yelled. She wasn't quite as loud as Rouge, but still loud, and had a great big grin on her face.

"There's a good smile! Now, Amy, watch me." Ms. Batson instructed. The teacher threw herself backwards, then sprang off of her hands using that momentum to get onto her feet again.

"Okay!" Amy said, repeating the move perfectly. Saving the world on a regular basis was good practice.

"Great job, everyone! The list of who made it on the squad and the reserve list will be out tomorrow!"

**-In Ballroom Dancing Class-**

"I can't believe the school wouldn't let us use extreme gear as a sport." Jet complained.

"We heard you the first time, Jet." Wave said, rubbing her temples.

There weren't many other people in the class. Somehow the school had managed to make the same number of boys sign up as the number of girls. Cameron walked over to Jet and Wave.

"Hey, guys. Do you know who's teaching this class?" She asked, looking around.

"No idea." Wave said, shaking her head.

As if on cue, in pranced Janette. "Good afternoon, class! Welcome to ballroom dancing! I know we're all excited to get partners and start learning, but we have to get down to business first. Ladies, you go find your size of dancing shoes and dress in my math room, and change in the bathroom. Oh! That rhymed. You'll have to wear them for every practice. Gentlemen, you need to find dancing shoes in the box right in the corner, but otherwise you may wear whatever you like, as long as it doesn't interfere with dancing." She smiled, giving out directions.

"Dresses? Is she kidding? I'm an extreme gear mechanic, not some princess." Wave mumbled to Cam as they started to leave the room.

"I hope the dancing shoes are easy to walk in… I'd die if they were heels." Cam agreed.

"What was that, ladies?" Janette butted in from across the room. "If you have a complaint about the rules, you'll just have to grin and bear it."

Wave looked like she was ready to tear Jannette's head off.

"Nothing, Ma'am." Cam called, sweatdropping as she dragged Wave out of the room.

It only got worse. As the girls changed in the restroom, they heard a _**thud**_ closely followed by an _**ow!**_ From one of the stalls. Cam opened the one she was in, now carrying the dancing shoes with three inch heels that she had obviously tried on.

"Stupid heels…" She mumbled, strapping them back onto her feet. As soon as they were on, she became wobbly again.

"Need some help?" Wave asked, obviously not loving the attire, but walking fine.

"I should be fine if I have a wall…" Cam said, slowly walking back to the dancing room with her hand on the wall. Wave walked next to her, ready to help.

"You're not going to be able to do that once we're in the room." Wave reminded her.

"I know that." Cam said, stumbling a bit at trying to walk and talk at the same time.

It was Wave's turn to sweatdrop. "Your coach really wasn't lying, was she?"

Cam stopped this time before speaking, right in front of the door. "Nope."

As they walked in, people were milling around, trying to adjust to their shoes, and talking to their friends. Cam wobbled around some, then tried getting off of the wall. A few steps out, she ended up falling into somebody.

"You okay?" Hiko asked, helping her stand up.

"Sorry. Yeah, I'm fine." Cam said.

"Okay, everyone! Pick your partners!" Jannette called out.

Wave ended up with Jet, and Cam ended up with Hiko.

As the class learned the basic waltz steps, Jet and Wave were always heard arguing or complaining about the other's actions.

"Back, out, together, back, out, together, one, two, three, one, two, three." Jannette chanted with the music that never seemed to end.

"OW! You stepped on me!" Jet yelled over the teacher.

"If you wouldn't have stepped the wrong way, I wouldn't have stepped on you." Wave argued.

"If you hadn't stepped on me I wouldn't have stepped the wrong way!" Jet fought back.

They started to get into a full-out argument, and the other pairs stopped and stared at the two fighting, going on obliviously.

Hiko kept a hold of Cam so that she wouldn't fall over. He laughed a little bit. "It's strange, you're so graceful on the ice."

"There's a big difference between skates and heels." Cam pointed out.

"Have you watched many skating videos?" Hiko asked.

"I watch the Winter Olympics every time. And I've done my research." Cam said.

"Have you watched the pair skaters?" Hiko asked again, keeping the questions up.

"Of course. Why?" Cam asked, getting suspicious.

"Haven't you ever wanted to try pair skating? I have, and I thought maybe-"

"No." Cam cut Hiko off. "I am not a pair skater, and even if I did want to try it, I wouldn't want to skate with you. Pair skating is dangerous enough as it is. You're good, but your sloppy. Pair skating has to be precise, down to the last little detail. On some of those lifts, I know you'd drop me."

"What, you don't trust me?" Hiko asked, acting offended.

"I don't like the look that's always in your eyes. And you're a terrible actor. Tell Peter and Hannah to select their cronies better next time." Cam said, pulling away from Hiko and glaring at him.

Jannette sighed at Jet and Wave. "Break it up, you two! You've gotten the class so off task, we'll have to wait until next practice to learn the rest. You're all dismissed!"

Cam took off her heels immediately, she started to walk out of the room, but Hiko grabbed her arm.

"How did you find out?" He asked.

"You just told me." Cam said, tugging her arm lose.

She stormed away, and Wave met her out in the hallway.

"Hey, I gotta check on Storm and make sure he's not dead. Wanna come and insult the jocks with me?" She offered.

Cam was still steaming. "Yeah. Let's go change."

They walked off to the dorm.

**-Football Try-outs-**

A screeching whistle echoed through the small locker room, packed with guys hoping to make it onto the football team. The returning upperclassman greeted each other and talked about the upcoming season, girls, and studied the freshmen that were more strewn about the room. Peter, of course, and his bodyguards sat around looking bored, not nervous in the slightest. Storm was standing near the middle of the room, looking dumbfounded and lost without Jet nearby. Shadow was leaning up against the lockers across from Knuckles, and both looked completely calm and indifferent. The guys were dressed in workout clothes. They all snapped their heads to the front of the room.

"ALRIGHT, LADIES! I HEAR YOU'RE ALL HERE TO TRY OUT FOR FOOTBALL! THOSE OF YOU WHO CAN MAKE IT THROUGH TODAY HAVE A CHANCE! NOW, ALL OF YOU, OUT ON THE TRACK! WE'RE DOING SPRINTS!" Surge yelled.

The mass amounts of guys jogged out to the field and lined up. As Surge blew his whistle, the boys at the front of the lines sprinted down the straight part of the track and back. This repeated for a while, and by the time Surge ordered them to stop, even Shadow was dripping in sweat.

"3 MINUTE WATER BREAK, THEN LINE UP ON THE FIELD!" Surge ordered.

The now very-tired group forced themselves up and over to where their water bottles were located. Most of them started to chug right away. Shadow went over into the cool shade of the bleachers. The water bottle became empty far too quickly for his liking, and he glared at it, wanting to throw it at the coach that made him thirsty in the first place. He noticed a couple little bumps add onto the top of the shadow in front of him. He turned around and looked up at the bleachers to be met with a fresh, cold bottle of water in his face.

"Save most of this for later." Cam instructed as she smiled down at him. He took the bottle and took a gulp.

"Aren't I supposed to stay hydrated?" Shadow countered.

"Yeah, but if you chug all that water now, you're stomach's gonna hurt a lot once you start exercising again." Cam replied. The whistle sounded again out on the field. Shadow nodded up at Cam and Wave, set the water down, and jogged off to line up on the field.

"UP-DOWNS, NOW!" The girls heard Surge yell.

Cam and Wave sat down on the bleachers.

"Hm. Storm's not dead yet." Wave commented, genuinely surprised.

The two girls continued looking around the field from where they sat, laughing at Peter, mainly, who could have passed off as dead.

They were having a god time all the way up until they guys were getting their positions. Because at that time, the cheerleaders showed up, still in their uniforms, without Amy and Rouge among them.

"Oh, look what the chao dragged in." Montana said, turning up her nose to the two on the bleachers. She got giggles from behind her, a way of cheering her on. "An obnoxious juvie mechanic and a freakish mutant figure skater who really doesn't have a figure, or any skills to go along with it."

"What was that?!" Cam yelled. It only took an instant for her to be up in Montana's face, grabbing her by the skimpy uniform she wore in one hand and holding her staff in the other. "_**Echidnas**__ are __**NOT MUTANTS."**_ She said firmly, glaring Montana down.

The other cheerleaders behind Montana were freaking out, and the football players took notice. Anna got in between them and shoved Cam off.

"Get lost, you crazy half-breed!" She yelled.

Cam lost her balance. She fell down on top of the bleachers, giving her nasty bruises in a variety of places.

"Hey!" Wave yelled. Her wrench appeared in her hands. "You wanna fight, you'll get one!"

Montana pulled out an orbish-looking object. Anna had a staff. Surge stormed up the bleachers. "CEASE AND DECIST, LADIES!" He was ignored.

"Lightning strike!" Montana yelled, a yellow zig-zag coming out of the orb at Cam.

"Cawxk Jxaoct!" Cam countered immediately, a golen-colored wall emerging to shield her. As the two spells collided, both the shield and beam dispersed, and Anna ran forward with her staff to attack Wave. They started matching each other blow for blow.

"**ENOUGH!!!"** Surge yelled, making his point clear. The girls kept fighting, though. "BREAK THEM UP, NOW!" The teacher demanded at the football players. Storm ran forward and restrained Wave, and Shadow did the same with Cam. Butch and Spike pulled Anna and Montana away.

"YOU GIRLS ARE IN A **LOT** OF TROUBLE! BOYS, ESCORT THEM TO THE PRINCIPLE'S OFFICE!" Surge demanded. They started walking, but Anna and Montana were taken down a different hallway that would still lead to the same place. They remained silent until they reached the principal's office and sat down in the chairs, soon to be joined by Anna and Montana.

"Alright, so what happened?" Omeleteman asked calmly. All the girls tried speaking at once, but were quickly stopped by Omeleteman putting his hand up for silence. "Cameron, you first."

Wave and I got done with ballroom dancing practice early, so we went to the football field. Wave wanted to check on Storm, and I came along so we both had company. We were behaving ourselves, then Anna, Montana, and the rest of the cheerleaders came in and started insulting us. Montana called me a mutant, and that's when I warned her to shut up. But she just kept going."

"I see…" Omeleteman brushed his moustache in thought. "Montana?"

"Alright, so like, cheerleading practice was over, so all the cheerleaders from like, last year, went to the football field to like, look at guys. So we show up and these two are sitting there laughing for like, no reason, so we decide to, like, joke with them a little. _Cameron _like, overreacted and like, started the fight." Montana argued.

"Let's see how this checks out." Omeletteman said, walking over to the security camera wall. On the big screen, he pulled up a few views of the scene from just before. "You girls were right by a microphone, too. How lucky." He thought out loud.

"_Oh, look what the chao dragged in." Montana said, turning up her nose to the two on the bleachers. She got giggles from behind her, a way of cheering her on. "An obnoxious juvie mechanic and a freakish mutant figure skater who really doesn't have a figure, or any skills to go along with it."_

"_What was that?!" Cam yelled. It only took an instant for her to be up in Montana's face, grabbing her by the skimpy uniform she wore in one hand and holding her staff in the other. "__**Echidnas**__ are __**NOT MUTANTS."**__ She said firmly, glaring Montana down._

_The other cheerleaders behind Montana were freaking out, and the football players took notice. Anna got in between them and shoved Cam off. _

"_Get lost, you crazy half-breed!" She yelled._

_Cam ended up losing her balance. She fell down on top of the bleachers, giving her nasty bruises in a variety of places._

"_Hey!" Wave yelled. Her wrench appeared in her hands. "You wanna fight, you'll get one!"_

_Montana pulled out an orbish-looking object. Anna had a staff. Surge stormed up the bleachers. "CEASE AND DECIST, LADIES!" He was ignored._

"_Lightning strike!" Montana yelled, a yellow zig-zag coming out of the orb at Cam._

"_Cawxk Jxaoct!" Cam countered immediately, a golen-colored wall emerging to shield her. As the two spells collided, both the shield and beam dispersed, and Anna ran forward with her staff to attack Wave. They started matching each other blow for blow. _

"_**ENOUGH!!!"**__ Surge yelled, making his point clear. The girls kept fighting, though. "BREAK THEM UP, NOW!" The teacher demanded at the football players. Storm ran forward and restrained Wave, and Shadow did the same with Cam. Butch and Spike pulled Anna and Montana away._

"_YOU GIRLS ARE IN A __**LOT**__ OF TROUBLE! BOYS, ESCORT THEM TO THE PRINCIPLE'S OFFICE!" Surge demanded._

"I see now." Omeleteman said, closing out the video and sitting back down in front of the girls. "Cameron, Wave, you're free to go."

"Wait, what?! Why?!" Anna yelled, looking back and forth from the two girls standing up the the principal.

"Cameron and Wave were behaving themselves until you showed up. You clearly started the fight. You even launched the first attacks. Cameron was getting so much abuse that we gave her permission to fight back. I'm glad she decided to take it. Wave was clearly sticking up for her friend. Now, as for _you_ two, you're going to be given 3 weeks detention and a month of kitchen duty. Is that clear?" Omeleteman said sternly.

Cameron, Wave, Shadow, and Storm walked out of the room.

"So, what position didjya guys get?" Wave asked, completely relaxed.

"Quarterback. Apparently I can throw." Shadow said.

"…Linebacker." Storm said after thinking for a while.

"And the Red Mutt?" Wave asked.

"…Same as me." Storm said.

"Cool." Cam said. She looked the guys over. "How bad of a beating did they give you?"

"Nothing horrible." Shadow said simply.

Cam raised an eyebrow at Shadow. "Really, now? That's impressive for football practice." She looked up at the clock on the wall of the hallway. "CRAP! I gotta change and run to practice! Bye, guys!" She ran off.

"Let's go back too." Wave suggested. She got a nod and a drop of drool. When they got back to the dorm, Cam was already gone, but Shadow had the overwhelming urge to sleep for a day. In reality, he was knocked around a lot, and had bruises all over. His only advantage was his dark fur that covered all of the injuries. He walked into his room and was just about to lay down when he spotted something in his way on the bed. It was a small container of ointment. There was a note attached.

_Shadow-_

_You couldn't have gotten out of there without a bruise, and plus, I saw your movement was stiffer than usual. This is really good on bruises and sore muscles- I should know. See you later._

_-Cam_

Shadow stared at the note for a few seconds. _'…How could she tell that easily? …Why does she care this much?...and… Why do I feel different when I'm with her?'_ He shook the thoughts out of his head and put down the note. He put the cold, somewhat smelly ointment on and laid down, letting himself drift off into sleep.

**-Basketball Try-outs-**

The gym was divided in half by a large curtain. Half the gym contained the girls, the other half contained the boys. Vector was in charge of both teams.

"Alright! Everyone, start warming up! Run a lap around the gym!" The croc commanded. The students obeyed. Most of the girls' team, however, only pretended to jog. Blaze, on the other hand, was right up with the guys the entire way. As soon as the girls were done walking, Vector barked out another order.

"Okay, everyone get in a pair, grab a basketball, and start passing!"

The guys were really just bored. Kevin and Silver paired up, mainly to talk.

"So, ready for an awesome year?" Silver asked, throwing the ball.

Kevin caught it. "You know it. I'm so ready to beat the cadets." He threw it back.

"Forget beating, we'll crush them this year." Silver agreed.

Squeals could be heard over on the girls' side. Blaze was very unamused.

"Just catch the stupid ball!" Blaze yelled. "It's not going to eat you! If you can't even catch, you might as well go over to cheerleading right now!"

She got a ton of glares for that. She passed the ball to her partner perfectly. The partner, though, didn't really get it and aimed too low. She ducked into the ball trying to catch it.

"OW!" The girl screamed. "Watch where you're throwing!"

"Watch where you put your head. I aimed right. You ducked into the ball." Blaze stated.

"Nuh-uh!" The partner retaliated. She picked up the ball and threw it at Blaze's head. Blaze jumped up and grabbed it.

"Okay. I'm going to bounce pass this to you. Are you ready?" Blaze said, just trying to get by.

"Don't treat me like an idiot!" The partner yelled.

"Alright." Blaze said. She passed the ball like normal, without bouncing it, to the girl. It hit the girl's arm.

"OW! You said you were going to bounce it!" She screamed yet again.

"You told me not to treat you like an idiot." Blaze stated.

"That's not what I meant!"

Blaze sighed. This was going to be a looooong practice.

**-Track Try-outs-**

Mr. Blackston blew his whistle.

"Okay, stretch for a while everyone. Afterwards we're going to do our various runs, and I'll time you. Those times will determine whether I want you on the team or not." He was laid back, even in his coaching.

Needless to say, the ferret was blown away by Sonic's time.

He was impressed with Espio's as well, but nothing really compared to Sonic.

**-Normal POV-**

As all the practices and try-outs ended, students could now be seen walking back to their dorms. Some seemed happy, others sad, some injured. Blaze plopped herself down on the couch by Silver, who was chugging a bottle of water.

"So, how was your basketball try-outs?" She asked. Silver stopped drinking his water for a second.

"I made it onto the team. Training will be tough this year." He said, leaning back farther into the couch. "How was your basketball try-outs?"

"I made it, too. But I wish you could be rougher in girls' basketball. Seems like if you so much as poke someone you get a foul." Blaze said moodily.

"Haha. I don't have that problem." Silver laughed. He started drinking his water again.

"Maybe I should try joining the boys' team, then." Blaze thought aloud.

Silver did a spit take. "What?!" He yelled, wiping the stray water off of his chin.

"Why are you so surprised?" Blaze asked. "You know I'm by far the best girls' basketball player. The coach is always putting me in. Most of the other girls on the team are _afraid_ of the ball."

"You talking about basketball?" Vector asked as he walked in.

"Yeah, Coach." Silver said. "Blaze wants to join the boys' basketball team."

Vector looked over at Blaze. "That true?"

Blaze nodded. "Yes, Coach."

Vector nodded back. "I don't see why not. You could motivate the guys on the team to work harder, and you really don't deserve to be on the team with those other girls. There's nothing in the rulebook against it. Welcome to the team."

"Thank you, Coach Vector!" Blaze said happily. She nudged Silver, who was speechless.

"Better watch out. You might get beat by a _girl_." Blaze winked at Silver.

"Won't be that easy to beat me." Silver argued.

"Wanna bet?" Blaze said back. "Come on!" She hopped up, walking towards the gym. Silver followed.

The gym was mostly empty. There was a janitor trying to scrape gum off the bottom of the bleachers, and a few people getting in extra practice. Blaze grabbed one of the stray basketballs off of the floor. She passed it to Silver, who caught it easily.

"First one to get 3 baskets wins. No powers." She challenged.

Silver smirked. "You're on." He started dribbling the ball and running towards the basket. Blaze ran right along with him.

The match was still going on much later, tied 2 to 2. A tennis boy walked in with an old net full of tennis balls, and the janitor had taken notice of the two playing basketball. As the boy walked by, he stopped to watch the two. Little did he know that age was catching up to the large net he was carrying. All of the tennis balls spilled out of the bag, rolling across the gym. Blaze and Silver kept playing on obliviously, until Blaze stepped on one. Her right ankle went down at an awkward angle, and she fell on top of the other small yellow objects rolling across the floor, giving her more bruises.

"Ahh!" Blaze yelled, more from pain than anything.

Silver was right by her. "Are you alright, Blaze?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She lied, hoping she could shake it off. _It's just a sprain, Blaze. You're fine._ She thought. _You can't let an injury get in your way._

Silver stood up and offered her his hand. She took it and pulled herself up.

Blaze put down her right foot to walk. She started to fall again, but Silver caught her. "Blaze? What's wrong?" He asked, helping her sit down. The tennis boy was frantically running around trying to re-collect all of the balls.

"I just hurt my ankle. I'll be fine." Blaze said, hoping it would be true.

"Let me look." Silver said. "It's not a suggestion."

Blaze sighed and took off her sock and shoe. Her ankle was red and swollen, already starting to bruise.

"Your ankle might be broken, Blaze. Come on, I'll take you to the nurse's office." Silver said. Before Blaze could protest, he picked her up and started walking. Blaze blushed.

"Ah, young love…" The janitor sighed as they walked by. This made Blaze blush enough to compete with Knuckles' fur, and Silver was no better.

"…Crazy old man." Blaze muttered as they got into the hallways, and out of earshot.

"Uh… yeah." Silver agreed.

When they got to the nurse's office, it was surprisingly empty of people.

"Set her down on one of the beds, dear." The nurse instructed to Silver. He did as she was told. "Now, it looks like you have an ankle injury, right? Well, we have the 'R' in RICE, down. So next is ice. Let me just get into the freezer here…" Before the nurse could get the ice out, the phone rang. "Oopsie. Gotta get that, dearie. Must be Susan. Everything you'll need is in the cupboard there. Would you mind taking care of it?" The nurse asked Silver, not waiting for a reply.

Blaze sweatdropped. "I feel so comfortable now." She said sarcastically. "I can tell how much she cares."

"Why was she talking about rice?" Silver asked.

"It stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. They're the steps to treating something like a sprain." Blaze explained.

"Oh. I remember now…" Silver said. He walked over to the small freezer containing ice, grabbed a plastic bag off of the top of it, then filled it with ice. He brought it over to Blaze and handed it to her.

"Thanks." Blaze said. She reached down and put the ice on her ankle, wincing a little bit. Silver nodded and opened the cupboard, pulling out an ace bandage. He took the already melting ice off of Blaze's ankle and started wrapping her it gently.

"Silver, you don't need to do that. The nurse should be done any time…" Blaze said awkwardly.

Silver looked up at her. "Both you and I know you don't believe that." He said, placing the ice back on her ankle. "I'll wait here until the nurse gets done with her phone call." Silver stated, pulling up a chair by Blaze.

Blaze smiled. "Thanks, Silver."

**-Friday, Science class-**

"…So, as you can see, these gems here when combined with these here, will give you…" Eggman lectured as he pointed to parts of the presentation on the screen. The students hurriedly scribbled down the masses of information on each slide, not registering what he was saying. You could see the room physically relax as the note session ended.

"Now class, as you can see, I have some examples up here." Eggman spoke from his desk. He pointed out a series of stones and gems in glass cases on his desk. "Each has a very unique ability. But I can't expose these to open air too much, so you'll only get to see one. Ah-ha! This one will do…" The doughnut-loving teacher pulled out a lumpy stone with a sickly red glow. "Hmmm… I forget which one this is… either way, pay attention to what it does." With that, he pulled the glass cover off from the stone. Little red orbs, much smaller and nastier looking than Tikal's orb of light, flew around the room, passing over the students.

"Ahh!" Montana yelled, the attention being drawn to her. "Get it off! Getitoffgetitoffgetitoff!" She yelled, trying to shake the orb.

"Ew! Nasty things!" Hannah yelled, some orbs landing on her.

"…What's happening?" Kevin asked, inspecting one of the orbs that had landed in his arm.

"It's happening to me, too…" Cam said, also studying the objects.

"Don't panic, I'll find out what it is." Eggman said casually, digging through his messy folders of papers strewn every which way.

The red glows suddenly got brighter, and streaks of red were flowing from the orbs into the rock.

"I don't feel so good…" Montana announced, slowing down her attempts to get the orbs off.

Hannah was just staring off into space, and started slouching in her seat, as opposed to her normally good posture.

"Somehow… that rock is feeding off of our magic." Kevin figured out.

"Nonsense." Eggman said, denying it. "I've heard of no such thing." He continued shuffling through his papers.

Cam was struggling to keep herself upright. She and the other three magic-users were fading fast.

"Just cover the stupid rock!" Rouge yelled.

"Young lady, I will not tolerate this! They're obviously acting." Eggman scolded. Then, in a blue flash, the glass was over the rock, and the little red orbs dispersed. "Who-" Eggman started.

"Montana!" Anna's scream cut off Eggman's. Montana was passed out.

"Hannah?!" Peter yelled at the same time as Anna, supporting the female hedgehog, who was also passed out.

Cameron and Kevin passed out a few seconds later. Shadow and Espio silently checked on them. "Ah-ha! I found it!" Eggman yelled, holding up a piece of paper.

_Rock with red glow-_

_Do not use around magic-users. Drains magic, and when creature is out of magic, life. If a magic-user is exposed to this rock, cover the rock immediately. Prolonged exposure may result in fainting, and, if exposed for long periods of time, death._

Eggman sweatdropped. "…Oops. I'll call the nurse…" He went to put the note down, but noticed something written on the back.

_If someone happens to be idiotic enough to use the red rock around magic-users, use the rock with the light blue glow at the same time as the red one to reverse the effects._

"Oh! Never mind about the nurse, I can fix this." Eggman announced, pulling out the light blue rock. He uncovered both rocks. This time the little red orbs went to the blue rock, and streams of light blue light flooded to the passed out students. Slowly, one by one, they woke up, and the lights dispersed. Eggman covered both rocks again. "Well, class, since those had negative effects, I'll show you a very special stone, that I am confident is not dangerous in any way." He pulled out a white stone.

"What does that one do?" Peter asked, not bothering to raise his hand.

"It lets people see what they want to see the most. Not only see it, but feel it, touch it, smell it, everything." Eggman announced.

A silence passed over the classroom. "Let's see it then." Peter spoke out.

"Alright. I'll let you have the rest of class with whatever it is you people want to see." Eggman offered. He uncovered the rock. There was a flash, and each student seemed to be transported into a world with their desire in front of them.

_Shadow looked around and blinked a few times. He was in an empty, pure white space. Then he heard something._

"_Shadow?"_

_He recognized the voice immediately and turned to it._

"_Maria." He said, walking up to her._

"_Hello, Shadow." Maria hugged him. "I missed you."_

"_I missed you, too, Maria." Shadow returned the hug._

_It was true. The image was real. Very real. He could feel her, she was warm. He could certainly see and hear her. He could even smell the faint fragrance of shampoo on her._

* * *

_Amy looked around, confused. Where in the world was she?It looked like some sort of hotel room… She heard a knock on the door of the room. Freaked out as she was, she went to go get the door. She looked in the mirror and stopped. Her quills were down to her back- when did that happen? And it looked like she had overall matured. Then it hit Amy. This is what she wanted to look like when she turned 18. Long hair, with the body of a model. The knocking started again. Amy went over and opened the door. Her five closest friends greeted her. Or, at least, older versions of them did._

"_Amy!" They yelled. Amy moved to let them file in. They made themselves at home in the small suite._

"_Ready for the big day?" A grown-up Rouge asked._

"_The big day? What do you mean?" Amy asked._

_Cameron, now 19 looking, snickered over on the couch. "Looks like someone's a little hung over from her bachelorette party last night…"_

"_Cam!" A 14 year old Cream scolded._

"_Wait. Bachelorette party? You mean… I'm getting married?" Amy slowly figured out._

"_There we go. She remembered." Older Blaze commented._

"_Come on, we've got to go get ready!" Wave urged, tapping her toe by the door. "Our appointments are soon, you know."_

"_But we can't let Sonic see!" Cream said, excited. _

"_That's when she's in her dress, Cream." Rouge pointed out._

"_But my cousin didn't want to be seen at all by her groom before __**her**__ wedding!" Cream retaliated._

"_Okay, we try to avoid Sonic as much as possible, and if he sees her before she has her dress on, we don't panic, alright?"Cam compromised between the two. Both nodded._

_The vision then skipped the beautification processes. Next thing Amy knew, she was in the church by the altar. Sonic was in front of her. He said "I do." The priest drawled on a bit more. Then she said "I do." They kissed. She could hear people cheering. _

* * *

_Sonic, Storm, and Eggman's visions were all very similar._

_Sonic was in a world made of chilli dogs. _

_Storm and Eggman were in their own private worlds filled with doughnuts and other miscellaneous junk food._

* * *

_Cameron looked around. She too was in the white world Shadow had entered._

"_Mommy? Daddy?" She called. The words echoed. They were so unfamiliar to say. _

"_Cameron." She heard a call from behind her._

_Cam spun around. "Mommy?" But no one was there. Her heart sank._

_A new, lower toned call appeared. "Cameron, over here."_

_She spun around again. This time, both of her parents were there. She ran up to them and was brought into a tight hug. It felt so right. So warm. So loving. She had needed to feel that for so long. _

"_Mommy, Daddy, I missed you so much."_

"_We missed you too, sweetie." Cam's dad soothed._

"_We're so proud of you." Her mom continued._

"_I love you." Cam said. The hug deepened. _

"_We love you, too." Both parents replied._

* * *

_Jet was racing. He crossed the finish line on a highly advanced extreme gear board. Confetti flew everywhere._

"_Ladies and gentlemen, your new world grand prix champion, Jet the Hawk!" An announcer yelled over the speaker, only barely being heard over all the screaming fans._

_Jet was escorted up to the podium and handed his huge trophy. There were fangirls everywhere asking to marry him. _

_All of the racers he left behind walked away in a rejected slump._

_This was the life._

* * *

_Rouge had all the world's jewels. She was rich and famous. Everyone loved her. Her vision consisted of living her life as this person. She really liked it._

* * *

_Tails was in a giant lab. He had lots of workers, and every technology he would need. He had made so many new discoveries- he found the cure to the common cold, cancer, and all other terminal diseases. He had won many awards. He found a way to cure world hunger. All of his friends supported him every step of the way._

* * *

_Blaze went into her own special world._

_Somehow her father was convinced to let her be free instead of being the next in line to take the throne. She was free to do as she wished. She could hang out with her friends without any guards around when she wasn't at school. She could wear whatever she wanted. Say what she wanted to say. Do what she wanted to do. _

_She went to parties with people her age. _

_She could marry who she wanted without worrying about an arranged marriage getting in the way._

_Why couldn't it really be like that?_

* * *

_Kevin's vision started out with more of a flashback._

"_So, what do you want to do when you grow up?" The middle school age Kevin asked. He was walking alongside Cameron to the skating rink._

"_Well, first, I'm going to go as far as I can in the figure skating world. I won't go into being a professional figure skater. I want to be a singer." The small Cam explained._

"_Cool. You know, we could make a band or something." Kevin suggested._

"_That'd be cool. It's a plan." Cam smiled at him._

_The vision skipped ahead to what looked to be the near future. They were still in school, but on stage, singing a song together in a band. Hannah and Peter were standing in the audience, humiliated, like they were just interrupted by those now on stage. Payback felt sweet._

* * *

_Silver was back in the future. Everything was normal. No iblis. No post-apocalyptic looking places. The world was just a happy place to live. He and Blaze could relax. No more fighting. No more danger._

* * *

_Wave won many prizes for her extreme gear. She had started a company for making her new models, and it was an instant success. Her hard work was finally recognized._

_She no longer had to deal with her idiot team mates on a regular basis. Only on a semi-regular basis. And for once, she was appreciated by them. Only the occasional migraine occurred. Everything was organized. She didn't have to worry about money, or steal things she wanted. Life was good._

* * *

_Knuckles just sat by the master emerald. It was in one piece. The island was safe. _

………………_and that's all._

* * *

_Espio was meditating in a quiet clearing in the middle of nowhere…_

………………_and that's all._

* * *

_Hannah was in the ice rink. She was watching Cameron perform. She kept falling. It was great. Then Hannah had the best performance she could possibly give. She smirked as the scored went up. Hannah was first. Cameron was last. No more threats._

* * *

_In Peter, Butch, Spike, Anna and Montana's visions:_

_**ATTENTION. THIS FANFICTION IS: 1. RATED 'T', and 2. Amethystuchiha is very late updating and out of ideas. So, in order to grace you with this mondo-large chapter, she will let you use your imagination. Good day.**_

* * *

**DONE! Ahhhhh~. 22 pages… Sorry About that last part. I just REALLY wanted to get this out. New record for longest chapter! And for you sports people out there, if you want to give me some technical terms or correct me on how try-outs should go, I would be more than glad to edit the try-outs to be more accurate. :) **

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**For reviewing!**


	26. Chapter 26

**SQEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! I have 113 reviews as of this update! Thank you so much everyone! There is no way to express how sorry I am for not updating as often as I should. But my prediction in the last chapter came true- I got more projects. There's only a few weeks of school left to put up with, though, and I shouldn't be TOO busy then. Until band camp starts. Oh boy. Thank you all so much for putting up with my slow updates, and for reading past those first few chapters. :P **

**I know, I know. ON WITH ZE STORY!**

*****Tell me what YOU want to happen in the story! Just add it to a review! I'm always adding and erasing sections because I wonder if the readers will like it or not, and it makes the wait time between chapters LONGER! I work MUCH faster with a goal in mind!*****

**(And P.S.- This doesn't include adding one of your OC's! ;) )**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 26

"Hey, the fair is in town. Wanna go?" Sonic offered to Amy.

"Sure, Sonic. I'd love to." Amy smiled up at Sonic.

Silver couldn't help but overhear. "Really? Awesome. Hey, Blaze!" He  
called over to the purple cat. "Bet I can beat you at the basketball  
game!"

"We'll see, Silver." Blaze smiled competitively over at her best friend.

Cam walked out of the girls' hallway, changed out of the gear she had  
on for practice that morning. "I don't see why everyone makes the fair  
such a big deal. I went there a couple of years ago, and it wasn't  
near as fun as everyone said."

"No offense, Cameron, but you were alone then. The fair is more of a  
place for someone to go with their friends and family." Wave said from  
the table where she was fixing the Babylon Rogues' extreme gear.

"We compete in the extreme gear race every year." Jet said.

"And cream the competition." Storm continued.

Shadow walked over to Cam and handed her the ointment she had given him.

"Thanks." He said briefly. Cam pushed the container back into his hands.

"Keep it." She insisted. "You're only going to need more next time."

Shadow stared at her for a second, thinking. After a few seconds he  
nodded and pocketed the small container.

"So I assume that you'll be coming with us to the fair? Amy asked,  
butting in.

"I guess." Cam shrugged. "But I don't want to be the third wheel with  
you and Sonic, and won't Jet, Wave and Storm be getting ready for the  
race?"

"All day." Wave confirmed.

"Shadow could take you!" Amy insisted.

"Who said that?" Shadow refused, a scowl appearing on his face. "Fairs  
are stupid."

"You've never even been to a fair, I'd bet!" Amy argued.

"Hmph. It doesn't matter." Shadow argued.

Cam just stood by watching the two argue.

"Well, that's the perfect reason to go!"

"I don't care."

"Oh, come on, Shadow!"

"Hmph."

"Um..." Cam cut in. "Shadow, can I talk to you for a  
second? ...Alone?" She looked kind of embarrassed asking this.

"Whatever." He agreed. They walked out of the dorm, roaming the  
hallways.

"So what is it?" Shadow asked when he was confident no one was nearby.

"I'm... kind of worried about... you know, what that note said?" She  
murmured.

"Okay. And?" Shadow asked.

"You're the only person other than me who knows about it. So take care  
of everyone, alright?" Cam asked.

Shadow nodded.

"...and take care of yourself, too."

"I should be telling you the same thing." Shadow countered. Cam smiled  
at him.

"Thanks. I will."

"Now it's my turn to ask you something." Shadow said, looking directly  
at Cam. Her smile disappeared.

"Okay. Shoot."

"Why do you always take care of everyone else? When was the last time  
you actually did something for yourself?"

"Um... I... " Cam trailed off and stared at the floor. She was clearly  
trying to think of something. Anything. "Well, when I skate..."

"I mean genuinely for yourself. No one else attatched. Not even your  
parents." Shadow cut her off.

Cam was silent for a while, so Shadow decided to speak up.

"I need to do something for myself, too. So, would you like to go to  
the fair with me?"

Cam looked up and stared for a second. "With you as friends or... you  
know... WITH you?"

"With me. On a date." Shadow said calmly. He showed no particular care  
or interest. It seemed like his face was always in that expression  
that most students made while ignoring the morning announcements of  
when the chess club would meet that week.

Cam, on the other hand, was once again competing with Knuckles'  
redness from the blood running to her cheeks. "Um... I... I mean...  
Sure. I would like that." She finally managed to get out.

Shadow's face managed to change a bit. A small smile crept onto his  
face. "Alright. Let's go back."

When they walked back in, Amy was looking at them expectantly. Shadow had his normal look back on, and Cam refused to make eye contact with her.

"Well?" Amy asked impatiently.

"We're going." Shadow said.

"Yay!" Amy squealed.

Amy went over behind Cam and started pushing her over towards the girls' dorms. Blaze followed.

"Amy, what are you doing?" Cam asked.

"We're getting ready, and you need to hurry up." Amy said. They entered the hallway, and Amy stopped pushing. "So, are you and Shadow going on a date?" She finally asked.

"So that's what this is about." Cam finally realized. She kept her poker face on. "What makes you assume that?"

"Oh, no reason." Amy said innocently.

"She eavesdropped." Blaze tattled.

"Hey!" Amy yelled at Blaze, blushing from embarrassment.

"I figured as much." Cam said. "And if I know what you're planning, you aren't picking what I'm wearing. I'm fine in this."

"But Caaaaam…" Amy whined. "Camo is so last year. And this is your first date."

"Amy. It's a fair." Cam countered.

Blaze stepped in to compromise this time. "Okay, how about I help and make sure Amy doesn't overdo it, and make sure you'll be comfortable?" She suggested.

"Whatever." Cam sighed. She knew she wouldn't win this argument.

"Yay!" Amy cheered once again. "Okay, Blaze, I'm picking your outfit, too!"

"What?!" Blaze yelled. Amy grabbed the two of them and dragged them into her room.

~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~

Meanwhile, Hannah had dressed up herself, in clothes that weren't the most modest, either. But there was a reason for this. She strutted down the halls towards the computer lab, where the people from the calculator club met after school.

She walked in. The students glanced up, but did a double take. Hannah flashed a smile at them. "Does anyone know where Kyle is?"

Kyle, a Dalmatian, stood up from his seat and approached Hannah. "Yes, Hannah?" He asked. "Do you need anything?"

Kyle was infamous for hitting on every girl in the school, as well as being turned down by most, with good reason. He was always in the midst of something weird. In fifth grade he had gone around to all of his teachers to have them sign a petition so he could be president. Not class president, president of the country. Big surprise, he's not president.

"Yeah, Kyle." Hannah walked over to the computer Kyle was previously at. Kyle followed. "I need help with a history project."

Kyle sat back down at his computer. "Your subject?"

Hannah leaned down to speak to him. "Local events. I'm supposed to get the details of a big crime within the past 20 years. I heard there was a murderer from a gang a while ago who killed 2 people. Do you think you could help me?"

Hannah stood up straight as Kyle spun his chair in her direction. "I don't see why not." He spun back around to the computer and started searching. Hannah pulled up an un-occupied chair and sat nearby. Kyle stopped typing after about 30 seconds. "The case file is blocked, Hannah. You won't be able to get any information on this. Do you have any other topics in mind?"

Hannah pouted. "Aww. But nothing else would be that interesting. Can't you find some way to get the information?"

"Well…" Kyle looked hesitant. "I could hack the system to get it… but that's dangerous."

"I could make it worth your while." Hannah proposed. "I can get you into the private section of bleachers at the skating competition. And if I win, I'll go on a date with you."

Kyle grinned. "Done." He started typing again, and soon had all the information Hannah needed. Before even looking at the information himself, he saved copies of it onto a flash drive and gave it to Hannah.

Hannah couldn't help but smirk once the small device was in her hands. "Thanks, Kyle." She kissed him on the cheek and walked out of the room.

Kyle slumped down in his seat with a sigh. He had a goofy little grin on his face. But it disappeared after a few seconds when he noticed a name on the case files he had brought up. "Cameron…?" He panicked as he read more and more, and quickly shut down the computer. He realized that he gave Hannah all of the pictures and information regarding the murder of Cameron's parents.

~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~

About 20 minutes later, the girls finally emerged from the girls' hallway.

Blaze somehow convinced Amy that they should wear jeans and tennis shoes. Which was good, because fairs weren't the cleanest places.

Cam had on jeans that were ripped on the knees and a few other places along the legs. On top, she wore a purple t-shirt with large pink music notes littering the front. Under that shirt, she had a long sleeved one that was black and white striped, and had a hole on the end of the sleeve for her thumb. And over that she had a purple vest, unzipped, with stripes down the zipper area in all different shades of purple along with some black. Her rings were replaced by bulky, somewhat see-through purple bracelets. After some bickering, Cam's hair that was normally over her eye was pulled back in a hairclip that looked like a black bow with a pink heart in the middle. She also, of course, was wearing her locket.

Blaze wore jeans that were faded along the thigh area, and had seams on the legs that wound around to the front between the knees and the ankles. There was a small slit at the ankles a few inches above where the denim ended. There were small, tiny chains attached to her belt loops on either side. Her shirt was one with a neckline that extended off of one shoulder before the sleeve appeared, which showed the strap of a tank top Blaze had on underneath her shirt. The shirt was grey with black bats and a cartoon skull with hearts for eyes and a bow designed on it underneath 3 large, shiny, hot pink stars. The sleeves were medium length and black and white striped, like Cam's, only thicker. She had a black and pink zebra striped belt on, which could only be seen on half of her jeans where the shirt was tucked in. The other half of the shirt hung out, covering the belt. Blaze also had on a necklace that consisted of a lot of chains and many different pink or black bracelets on the same side as the lower shoulder.

Amy chose what she wanted to wear, and took no arguments from Cam or Blaze. She chose a low v-neck white t-shirt with a blob of black and white designs on it. The design that stood out most, however, was a large skull and crossbones with stars for eyes, a top hat, and wings right in the middle of the blob. She chose black shorts that didn't quite get to mid-thigh, and were frayed at the ends. On her feet she had shiny black boots that went up to her calves and laced up the entire way. Coming out from her boots, she had black stockings that just went over her knees, with 3 white stripes at the top. She had a long black necklace on lined with black beads, and a black heart dangling at the bottom. She wore one black, fingerless glove on her right hand, and a top hat.

All of the girls' eye makeup was overdone, especially the eyeliner, but it somehow completed the look.

"I thought we were going to the fair, not a party." Sonic said after looking Amy over. She walked over to him. He put his arm around her waist.

"Yeah, well, we can still look good, can't we?" Amy giggled.

"If we're all ready, then let's go." Jet nagged, boosting his extreme gear up under his arm. He started walking out the door, and everyone else followed. They would have to take a bus to get to the fairgrounds area.

The Babylon Rogues talked strategy on the way to the bus stop.

"So, where are we going to first?" Blaze asked Silver. "Rides or booths?"

"Rides." Silver decided. "That way we won't have to worry about losing any stuff we win."

"Sounds like a plan." Blaze agreed. "First one to scream loses?" She flashed a grin at him.

"You're on." Silver grinned back.

Meanwhile, Cam was walking awkwardly by Shadow. Neither seemed to want to start a conversation.

"Your hair isn't over your eye." Shadow casually mentioned.

"Um… yeah." Cam self-consciously brushed some stray hair out of her face. "It was Amy's idea. The whole outfit was, really. I wouldn't normally pick something like this out…"

Shadow could tell she was nervous. "It suits you."

"Oh." Cam blushed a tiny bit. "Thanks."

The bus rolled up, and the group filed in as other people filed out the other door in the middle of the bus. Amy pulled Blaze into a seat with her, away from where Cam and Shadow were sitting. Sonic gave Amy a look, but a reassuring one given in return from Amy let him shrug it off and sit down to talk to Silver.

"What's up?" Blaze asked.

"We need to find a way to help Shadow and Cam along. I mean, look at them." Amy motioned over towards the two. Blaze glanced their way discreetly. Shadow stared out the window of the bus watching the random passer-bys. Cameron was just slowly looking around the area of bus in front of her.

"I don't think they have any idea what to do." Amy concluded.

"Well, both of them have never really been socially involved, have they?" Blaze reasoned.

"That's what I mean." Amy continued. "We need to find some way to push them along. One of them has got to make a move."

Blaze nodded. "Alright. We'll figure something out."

~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~

Rouge sat on the couch in the dorm, flipping through the channels on TV and bored out of her mind. She was glad to have not been dragged into the earlier argument about the fair. Fairs were far too dirty for her, and the employees were just freaks. Knuckles sat on the other couch doing his homework. …Or erasing it, that is. Every time he went to do a math problem, eraser shavings would fly 5 seconds later. Knuckles finally got fed up when he had worn out the eraser on the pencil he was using. He broke the pencil in half and threw it at the trash can. It hit the side rather than going in, but Knuckles didn't bother cleaning it up.

"Having trouble, Knucklehead?" Rouge asked.

"No." Knuckles lied, grabbing a new pencil.

Rouge got up and walked behind the couch Knuckles was sitting on, and leaned down to see what he was doing. "You can't solve 2x=10?"

"What is the alphabet doing in with these numbers?" Knuckles argued.

Rouge sighed. "x is a variable, remember? You try to find its value. So it's like saying '2 times what equals 10?' "

"5. Duh." Knuckles said. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before Knuckles realized he just solved the problem and wrote the answer down.

"I swear, Knucklehead, this is review. It took me 5 minutes." Rouge taunted.

"Shut up, Batgirl." Knuckles snapped. He used this new knowledge to solve the rest of his problems. He was just about to close his book when Rouge spoke up. "Number 7 is wrong."

"I didn't ask you." Knuckles argued. Nonetheless, he opened the book all the way again and erased his answer. He looked over it again. "How the heck was I wrong?"

Rouge walked around the couch and sat down by Knuckles. "This is more than one step. You have to get rid of this three that's being added on by subtracting it from both sides."

"Why both sides? Why not just the one?"

"It's a rule. What you do to one side you have to do to the other."

"That's a stupid rule."

"I didn't make it. Now do it."

"Fine … Now what?"

"Now you divide it."

"That doesn't give you a whole number."

"It won't do that all the time, Knucklehead."

"Well that's stupid, Batgirl."

"How many times do I have to tell you I don't make these things?"

Knuckles shut his book and grabbed the page he had for translating.

"Don't you have something to say to me?" Rouge asked.

"No." Knuckles said.

"How about a 'Thank you, Rouge, for helping me with my homework and sparing my eraser from a cruel fate.'?" Rouge suggested.

"I'm not saying that." Knuckles denied.

"Fine." Rouge pouted. She went back over to the TV and started flipping through the channels again.

There was a knock on the door. Rouge went and answered it.

Alexander was leaning against the door frame. "Hey, Babe." He greeted.

Rouge glared at him and slammed the door shut. It never made contact with the door frame, though. Alexander's foot was in the way. He helped himself in.

"Get out of here." Rouge demanded.

"You know, I would, but I'm looking for someone, and if they're not here, I'm going to wait until they show up." Alexander grabbed Rouge's wrist and wouldn't let go, even when she tried to pull it away. "I wouldn't mind if you waited with me."

"Let go of me **now."** Rouge ordered. She went to kick him, but he pulled her up against him to the point where she couldn't move well.

"I don't like that idea." He smirked.

3 seconds later, Rouge was jerked away from Alexander, and a spiked fist came in contact with his face.

"Get out of here." Knuckles said.

Alexander slowly recovered from the blow. "Wanna make me?" He challenged.

"Gladly." Knuckles accepted.

Alexander ran at Knuckles and threw a punch, which Knuckles caught. Knuckles used Alexander's momentum to throw the bat into the nearest wall. As soon as Alexander made impact, Knuckles took his turn with a running punch. Alexander dodged at the last minute, and Knuckles went crashing through the wall into the hallway, and Alexander landed a hard kick to Knuckles' back. Due to his previous experience fighting Rouge, Knuckles was unphased by the kick and punched Alexander back into the wall, where Knuckles pinned him.

"Get out of here. Now." Knuckles ordered. He shoved Alexander down the hallway.

"This isn't the last you'll hear of me." Alexander warned. "You'll regret this, echidna."

Knuckles walked back into the dorm through the hole in the wall. Rouge walked up to him. "Thanks, Knu-"

Knuckles cut her off. "Let's call it even."

Vector emerged from his room with a yawn and looked around. He started to proceed to the kitchen when his head snapped back around. "What happened to the wall?!"

~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~

The bus pulled up from the fair, and everyone unloaded from it. As they walked in and paid for their tickets, Amy automatically saw what she and Blaze were looking for.

"Hey, everyone! Look, it's a psychic! Let's all go in!" She walked over to the tent and read the sign.

_**Madame Alice's Psychic readings and magic items. Psychic readings are free. Only 2 customers at a time. More details inside.**_

"Oh. Only 2 people at once. Alright, Blaze and Silver, go in first!" She didn't leave any time to argue and pushed Blaze and Silver into the tent.

"Ah, Welcome." The human greeted. "Come, come. Sit down." She motioned to chairs across from herself on the table. Blaze and Silver did as they were told.

"Ah, you two are great friends, I see." The woman noticed. "You two will make a wonderful couple."

This sparked a blush in the cat and hedgehog. "A c-couple?" Blaze asked hesitantly.

"Why, yes, dears. You both have been thinking about the possibility of a relationship, but didn't want to ruin your friendship, am I correct?"

She got brief nods from the both of them.

"Don't worry. You may experience some small bumps in your relationship, but it will work out well. Friendship is the foundation of a good relationship. Now go on, go join your friends." She waved the two out. They left in a bit of a daze.

"Alright, Sonic, let's go next." Amy insisted.

"Sure, Ames." Sonic agreed. They entered the tent.

"Welcome. Please, sit down over here." Madame Alice motioned. "I see you two have already began a relationship. It will work well for you, but remember to give each other some space every now and then. Don't try to rush anything, what is going to happen will come naturally. Also, Sonic the Hedgehog, you must start cutting back on the chilli dogs. If you keep up your current eating habits, you'll die of a heart attack when you're only in your thirties. Miss Rose, if I may, I would like to see you and your friend Blaze after your other two friends are done. That is all."

Sonic and Amy stood up. Sonic looked a tad depressed.

"Thank you very much. I'll be sure we come back in." Amy smiled.

"Cut back on the chilli dogs…" Sonic muttered as they exited the tent.

Amy shoved Cam and Shadow into the tent next.

"Welcome." The psychic greeted once again. Cam and Shadow took their seats in front of the table.

"So, you're on a date, I presume?" The psychic asked. She got brief nods.

"You've both had very troubled pasts. But this is a bond that you share that will help you better understand what the other is feeling, and support them through their hard times. You both also hold the potential for great power. Shadow, do not let rage overpower your mind while fighting. It will only lead to undesired results. Cameron, when you go to this temple you got those papers from, a new door will be opened for you, and you will learn much more about yourself. You may be overwhelmed by what you will learn. Neither of you should continue keeping your feelings hidden from your friends. Let them show. Your relationship will be wonderful. That is all."

Cam and Shadow stood to leave. They were almost to the door when the psychic spoke up again. "Have a wonderful date, you two."

Cam managed a small smile as she walked out. "Thank you, Ma'am."

Neither had much to say upon exiting the tent. They didn't know what to think. Amy dragged Blaze into the tent with her and left Sonic and Shadow to probe information out of Shadow.

Madame Alice got right down to business as the girls entered the tent. "So, you wish to help those two who were just in here along in their relationship?"

The girls nodded, but didn't get to say anything as the psychic continued her speech.

"It will be tricky, a simple spell will not do… The girl, she is a magic-user, yes?" More nods. "You will have to use a potion for it. Sneak it into their drinks. The girl won't be able to sense it once she's under its influence or while it's not in use. Here-" She retreated into a closed-off portion of the tent for a few seconds, and emerged with a small pouch, which she handed to Amy. "You may have this for free. You have only good intentions. I only charge for people with bad intentions, you see. Like this other Hedgehog girl, quite the evil one she is… Oh! But I'm rambling. Go on, dears. Run along, and be sure no one sees you put that potion into the drinks. It should wear out by midnight." Madame Alice almost literally pushed them out, giving Amy little time to hide the pouch.

"She doesn't beat around the bush, does she?" Amy asked as she re-composed herself.

"She most certainly does not." Blaze agreed.

"So why did she call you guys back in there?" Silver asked curiously.

Amy stiffened. "She… uh…"

Blaze remained calm, and interrupted Amy. "She recommended that we all go on the Ferris wheel after it gets dark. She says it's beautiful, and if we didn't go, then something negative would happen."

"Yeah! What Blaze said!" Amy quickly agreed. To prevent any further questions, she decided to change the subject. "So, how about we all meet in a couple of hours for lunch?"

"Sounds like a plan." Sonic said. The others nodded in agreement, and they split up to go to their desired attractions.

~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~

Hiko and Peter were wandering around the fairgrounds. Both were adrenaline junkies, and liked riding the roller coasters. After one round of riding, they were taking a break and talking.

"So, you screwed up one of Hannah's little plans the first day here, huh?" Peter brought up.

"I just don't understand how Cameron figured it out so quickly… she said there was some strange look in my eyes." Hiko rambled.

"She had a lot of time on her hands when she didn't have friends. My guess is that she was practicing her skating and doing schoolwork. But whenever she had to be with other people, she had a lot of time to just watch them and learn. She could have seen right through your act." Peter explained.

"Oh…" Hiko was deep in thought.

"You still have a chance to make up for it, though." Peter pointed out. Hiko looked at Peter. "You just started with the wrong person, see? You can still get into their group. Start with one of the more oblivious ones- the male birds, red echidna, or blue hedgehog. They're your best bet. Prove to them that you're not so bad after all. Then, once you've learned about all of them, do something that you know will make them fight amongst themselves."

Hiko looked doubtful. "It seems like such a shame, though. They all seem like good people."

"You're too soft, dude." Peter scolded.

~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~

A loud buzzer sounded over the hoop shooting game. The man in the booth yelled into the microphone. "We have a WINNEEEEER!" He sashayed over to the booth where Silver was sitting at. "Well, sir, pick a prize. You can get about 50 out of these buckets on the floor over here, 20 off of this wall, 10 off of this wall, 5 off of that wall, 2 from that little section near the ceiling, or one of those HUMONGOUS ones from up on the ceiling!" He pointed all over the place during his speech, and wobbled a little bit every time he changed directions. He was probably on drugs.

Silver looked over all of the prizes. "How about that panda up there?" He pointed upwards at one of the large prizes on the ceiling. Unlike the other ones, the panda actually looked like it was made well and the people who owned the booth paid more than 2 dollars for it. Either way, Silver had noticed Blaze giving it more than a glance like she had the other prizes. The man grabbed a large pole with a hook at the end and unhooked the prize from the ceiling. He lowered it down and unhooked the panda, then handed it to Silver.

"Thank you for your business, sir." The man said. He then started instructing the children who had seen Blaze and Silver's little match and, fascinated, decided to try it as well.

Silver handed the panda to Blaze. "Here, Blaze. Thanks for going on that water ride with me."

Blaze accepted the massive plush. "Yeah, well, let's just say the ride gives me more adrenaline than most people."

The two walked toward the area where the picnic tables were located, and the other 4 people were waiting for them. Amy and Sonic were cuddling and talking, while Cam and Shadow sat across from one another, occasionally commenting to each other on a person who walked by.

"How the heck do earlobes stretch that far?" Cam asked, pointing to a man who passed by, with earlobe expanders in that most people could fit an arm through.

Shadow shrugged. "I've seen about 27 people who could be homosexuals, 53 who could be drug addicts, and 47 who are drunk and/or alcoholics."

"Really?" Cam asked. "I counted 49…"

"Hey, Blaze! Hey, Silver!" Amy greeted, cutting off the two's fascinating conversation.

Blaze sat down next to Cam and Silver next to Blaze. Silver took the courtesy of putting Blaze's panda on ground at the end of the table.

"Alright, what does everyone want to eat?" Amy asked, standing up.

"Chilli dog, please." Sonic asked kindly.

"Pizza." Blaze and Silver said in unison. They looked at each other and laughed.

"Funnel cake." Shadow said.

"Um… what is there that's healthy?" Cam asked awkwardly.

Everyone but Shadow started laughing, and even he cracked a smile. Either way, he took it upon himself to explain. "There generally isn't anything healthy to eat at fairs. Luckily, there was a vendor with salads and fruit over by the ice cream one."

"Oh. Well, I guess I'll have an apple and an orange." Cam said.

Amy nodded. "And to drink?"

"Coke." Blaze and Silver again said at the same time.

"Root beer." Sonic said.

"Water." Shadow decided.

"Water, please." Cam asked.

"Blaze, Can you come with me to carry things?" Amy asked.

Blaze caught on quickly. "Alright." She got up and walked to the various booths with Amy.

They stopped at a condiments table to set everything down and organize themselves. Luckily, Blaze had gotten her hands on a couple of drink trays and used them to carry things. While their good luck was still working its magic, Cam and Shadows' waters were in cups with lids rather than bottles, which would make any tampering undetectable. As Amy added condiments to her and Sonic's food, Blaze put the powder in the waters. Blaze once again stashed the pouch, now empty, and they carried the food back over to the table. The food was distributed, and the two girls sat down.

"Thanks, Ames." Sonic said, giving her a small hug.

They started eating their meal, having a conversation along the way.

"I wonder what different things people have tried frying at fairs…" Sonic pondered.

"I've heard of fried ice cream." Blaze said.

"I've heard people talk about all sorts of fried candy bars and snack cakes. But they sound disgusting…" Cam said. She took a sip of her water, but nothing seemed to happen.

"They've even fried cookies before." Shadow added. This time it was his turn to take the first sip of his water. Both he and Cam blinked a couple of times, and they looked at each other for a second, but nothing happened other than that.

"How the heck do you fry those things without them melting?" Silver asked.

"I believe they wrap them in dough." Hiko spoke up from the end of the table. Peter was right beside him.

"What the heck are you doing here?" Cam growled at the two.

"Nothing much. Just enjoying the rides. You all look lovely, ladies." Hiko complimented.

"Whatch'ya so worried about, Cameron?" Peter snickered.

"Nothing, Peter." Cam said, none too pleased about his presence.

Shadow stood up. "Come on, Cameron. Let's go."

Cam stood up right after him. "It's like you read my mind."

"Oh," Peter said as the two were walking away, "Hannah wanted me to give this to you, Cameron."

Cam slowly turned around and snatched the small envelope from Peter's hand that he withdrew from his pocket only a moment before. She walked away without a word, and Shadow followed close behind her.

The Echidna and Hedgehog moved to a small parklike area that was generally unpopular to people and sat down on a bench. Cam slowly opened the envelope, and reached inside. She started to pull its contents out, but Shadow's hand passed over hers, stopping her from revealing what was inside.

"Do you think it's smart to open that? It's the day before your competition, Hannah has probably pulled out all the stops to mess you up." Shadow warned.

"I'm not just going to ignore it or run away. If I'm going to take myself seriously as a competitor, I have to know I took every challenge that people have thrown at me and overcome them." Cam answered.

Shadow nodded slowly and removed his hand. Cam drew out the contents. They looked like pictures, except she only saw the backs of them. She turned them around, and instantly drew in a sharp breath. The grim images on the pictures even made Shadow take one.

"Oh my god…" Cam dropped the photos and let them flutter to the ground. She started shaking uncontrollably. "Oh my god… oh my god…." She started to sob, and buried her face in her hands.

Shadow pulled Cam into a hug, trying to comfort her in any way he could. She hugged him back and cried into his shoulder.

It wasn't long before Peter and Hiko came walking up. Peter smirked at the two, knowing full well what was in the envelope, while Hiko was clueless about any past events.

"Cameron? Shadow? What happened? What's wrong?" Hiko asked, genuinely concerned.

Shadow glared at them. "Why don't you ask Peter? Or maybe you'd like to look at the contents of that envelope for yourself?"

Hiko looked back at Peter, then slowly picked up the pictures by the bench, which conveniently landed face down. He turned them over.

"Oh my… that's… horrible… who-?" Hiko started to ask. Peter walked up beside Hiko, taking the pictures and looking at them casually.

"They were her parents. She saw both of them die. Alexander's Dad's the one who killed 'em. Did a good job, too. They're most certainly dead." The next thing he knew, Peter was sent backwards by a fist in his face.

"Get out of here now." Shadow warned.

Peter got up and ready to fight. "You son of a-"

"LADO NHUF!!!" Cam called from the bench, her staff out. Vines started growing out of the ground right where Peter stood, wrapping him tightly." Cam walked up to him.

"Don't you dare. Don't you dare speak of my parents that way, and don't you even _think_ about so much as _touching_ one of my friends. I'll let you go now, but one more false move and I will break every bone in your body but your neck." You could still see tears on her cheeks, and if you looked closely you could tell she was shaking, but Cam was dead serious.

"You don't have the guts." Peter challenged.

The vines tightened around Peter, squeezing him extremely hard.

"Try me." Cam countered.

"Alright, alright, just let me go." Peter surrendered. The vines instantly released him and receded.

Shadow put his arm around Cam's shoulder to guide her. "Come on, let's go." He said.

`'*~-,._.,-~*'`GIANT SQUIGGLE`'*~-,._.,-~*'``'*~-,._.,-~*'``'*~-,._.,-~*'``'*~-,._.,-~*'`

Kevin walked to the dorm to meet with Knuckles about the translation pages. He stared at the cleanup crew cleaning up the gaping hole in the wall. As he walked in the door he pointed to the wall.

"What-"

"Don't ask." Knuckles cut him off.

Kevin nodded and sat his things on the large table across from Knuckles. He pulled out a couple pieces of paper and handed them to Knuckles.

"These will be done once you translate your part, and," he pulled out a paper pad. "here's the place to put the words."

On the notepad, there were two different handwritings, each labeled with a different page number according to those in the packets. Both forms of handwriting were neat. Rouge looked at one of the pages.

"When all blank blank converge blank the blank, then it shall be time to blank the blank?" Rouge asked.

Knuckles searched the actual echidnean for where that was.

"Three chosen. At. Temple. Pass on. …Demon." He snatched the notepad away from Rouge and scribbled down the words, his messy handwriting sharply contrasting with Cameron's pretty connected letters and Kevin's neat, straight ones.

"When all three chosen converge at the temple, then it shall be time to pass on the demon?" Rouge asked.

Kevin thought it through. "That is what it says… but what's up with this demon stuff? This is in the section describing different rituals… I'm not so fond of the idea. Come on, keep translating. Let's see what we're up against."

20 minutes later, they had it all translated and had read it over.

"Crap." Knuckles said as he read it.

"We're going to have to suppress a demon." Kevin finished the statement for Knuckles.

`'*~-,._.,-~*'`GIANT SQUIGGLE`'*~-,._.,-~*'``'*~-,._.,-~*'``'*~-,._.,-~*'``'*~-,._.,-~*'`

Cam and Shadow walked away from the park into a different area.

"When will they give up…?" Cam asked, still upset.

"It doesn't matter. Until they do, everyone will be here to help you through." Shadow encouraged.

A carnie, obviously drunk, swayed over to them. "Hey, you cute kidsh." He drawled. "Why don'tchew go on dish riiiiiide?"

Without letting them object, he pushed them onto a small boat, which started moving almost right away and went into a dark tunnel.

Cam sat there and sulked as the ride went on and an announcer spoke over the speakers.

"**Welcome to the tunnel of love."** The unseen speaker said.

In the dark, neither Cam nor Shadow could see each other blush.

"**Please refrain from letting any body parts come outside the boat, and do not get off the boat at any time. This is one of the longest rides of its type in the country, and lasts approximately 30 minutes. Security cameras are placed at random points along the ride, and it will be stopped if inappropriate behavior is taking place. Enjoy the ride~."**

Cam and Shadow looked around, not really seeing anything other than a small light farther down the tunnel. Then, suddenly a light flashed on with a gruesome skeleton appearing right next to them on either side of the boat, accompanied by a loud screaming sound, which mixed with Cam's scream. Shadow had only jumped out of surprise, but the scare tactic was truly effective in what it was probably meant to do. Both teens had jumped towards each other, and, with the boat being so small, Cam had ended up in Shadow's lap, causing both of them to blush even more.

"U-uh….. s-s-sorry." Cam stuttered.

"That's alright." Shadow forgave. "I kind of like this, anyway." His tone of voice changed with the last statement, and he wrapped his arms around Cam's waist, keeping her in that position and pulling her closer.

They entered the slightly lighter part of the tunnel, where they could see each other and the beautiful decorations all over the walls. Cam was still blushing, which made Shadow smile.

"You're cute when you blush, you know that?" He pointed out.

"No one's ever really told me that kind of thing before… so I guess not." Cam said. She laid down her head on Shadow's shoulder. "I've never really gotten any compliments other than for my skating."

"I can think of a few." Shadow said.

They entered another dark part of the tunnel.

"I'd love to hear them." Cam smiled at him, even though it couldn't be seen in the dark.

"First, you're brave. Much braver than anyone else I know." Shadow started. "You're kindhearted, elegant, smart and beautiful no matter what you're wearing or doing. You have a voice that could put angels to shame. When I'm with you, it makes me want to be a better person."

"You don't need to be a better person, Shadow. You've always been there for me, even when we barely knew each other, and I'm more grateful to you than you'll ever be able to know. I… For the longest time before you came along…. I was seriously considering killing myself." Shadow could hear Cam crying as she spoke. He reached up and found her cheek, then wiped her tears off. She kept going. "When you're with me, I feel warm inside. I feel like every burden I have ever had is gone. I can be myself around you. Shadow… I think I love you." The last three words were barely a whisper, but Shadow could hear it nonetheless.

Slowly he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. The kiss lasted no more than a second, but was something of a silent answer to what Cam had just said. Cam looped her arms around Shadow's neck and pulled him into another kiss, longer and deeper than the one before. Almost at that exact moment, the boat pulled out into the open loading/unloading area of the ride, where Amy, Sonic, Blaze and Silver were conveniently passing by.

"Hey, is that Shadow and Cam?" Amy asked, staring at the ride. The others whipped their heads around, and their eyes widened. "Amy, hand me your camera." Sonic requested. Amy had already pulled it out of her bag and turned it on, so Sonic swiped it and ran over to take the picture.

The kiss only lasted a few seconds longer than the first, but just before the two pulled apart, they heard the shutter sound of a camera, some snickers, and a bunch of "Awwwww"s coming from somewhere nearby. They whipped their heads around to the front of the boat, where Sonic was standing and, just for the heck of it, took another picture. Cam was shocked and heavily blushing, not to mention all of the makeup that had smeared down her cheeks. Shadow was death glaring at Sonic. The drunken carnie swayed over to them.

"Okay, kidsh. Funsh ova. "Getoffa tha boat anoffa eashother." He demanded.

Sonic jumped off of the boat and jogged over to his friends, while Shadow silently helped Cam off of the ride. As they walked back to the group, who was preoccupied by looking at the camera, Shadow leaned down and whispered to Cam so that only she could hear: "I love you too."

Her reaction was cut short, though.

"Cam! Your makeup's all messed up!" Amy whined.

A screeching violin ringtone was emitted from Cam's phone, making everyone flinch.

"Ugh. What is it now?" Cam groaned as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Hello, Coach?" Cam greeted.

"Cameron, where are you? You're not in your dorm. You should be resting and preparing for competition tomorrow. I didn't spend all this time on training you so you could blow it by messing around the day before! Get back here now!" Cam flinched away from the receiver and heard the click of the call ending.

Cam sighed. "Sorry, guys. I have to go back to the dorm or coach is gonna kill me."

"I'll go with you." Shadow offered, not willing to be interrogated.

"We might as well go back, too." Sonic pondered. "We're out of tickets, anyway."

"We've hit every basketball booth there is." Blaze said to Silver, holding her stuffed panda close.

"Really?" Silver looked disappointed. "Then there's a tie."

Blaze laughed. "Well, even if there was another, I don't think we'll be able to carry around much more. I mean, we already gave half the stuff we won to random kids."

It was true, the prizes they had won were quite undesirable in most of the booths. Aside from the stuffed panda and an autographed basketball signed by a local team that Blaze had won and given to Silver, they had given all of the prizes away, and even decided at one point to empty a booth of half of its extremely-low-score-but-still-unlikely-to-win prizes for a group of kids on a field trip.

"Alright, all who are coming come on." Cam said, leading the way out and to the bus stop.

While they waited, Cam wiped off the smeared makeup, and Amy interrogated Cam and Shadow.

"So what made you decide to go on the tunnel of love?" She asked.

"Nothing did." Shadow answered.

"Some drunken carnie just randomly shoved us on it." Cam explained.

"What happened inside, you know, other than that kiss we saw? How did Cam end up on Shadow's lap?" Amy said, giggling.

"At the beginning there were these skeleton things that randomly popped up on either side of the boat. It made me jump, and the boat was so small that was the only place to go." Cam said defiantly.

"Yeah, but you stayed there…" Amy said slyly.

"Shut up." Cam countered. Amy decided to move on.

"So, after that?"

"None of your business." Shadow said.

"Caaaam?" Amy asked her friend, hoping to get any information out of her.

Cam shook her head. "Sorry, Amy. From then on it's private."

Amy pouted. "Fine, then."

The bus pulled up to the school, and they unloaded. Moving up to the dorm, they stopped and stared at the hole in the wall for a second, which was now half-repaired.

When they walked in the door, Knuckles automatically said: "Don't ask." Followed by Mrs. White storming up to Cam.

"Cameron, where have you been?! You should be resting and mentally going through your routine! What if you had hurt your ankle?! What if something happened to you?!" The coach yelled.

"Nothing happened, coach." Cam said.

Then Mrs. White happened to notice Cam and Shadow holding hands.

"What are you doing holding that boy's hand?" She asked suspiciously.

"Crap…" Cam muttered, letting go of Shadow's hand, as much as she didn't want to.

"We had an agreement, Cameron! No boyfriends! You seemed perfectly fine with that when we made the agreement!" The woman scolded.

"Yeah, but I didn't even have friends then…" Cam said quietly.

Mrs. White sighed. "I suppose you're right. At the time the very idea was far-fetched. We will talk about this after the competition tomorrow, are we clear?"

"Yes coach." Cam said, giving her auto-response to the phrase.

"Get some rest, Cameron." Mrs. White said, walking out of the dorm.

Cam sighed and plopped herself down on one of the couches. Shadow sat down next to her, and she decided to use his shoulder as a pillow.

"How about a movie?" Rouge proposed, bored herself.

"Sounds good." Amy smiled. She picked up the remote and sat down on the couch next to Cam, then Sonic took the end of the couch opposite Shadow by Amy.

"How about we watch something science-y?" Tails requested.

"How many good movies are there that involve _science_?" Blaze thought out loud.

"I bet Espio wants a ninja movie." Vector said on his way to the kitchen.

"Hmph." Was the chameleon's only response from over by the table.

Amy was scrolling through the movies on TV. "No… no ninja movies…." Amy said. She stopped over one.

"Ice Princess?" Knuckles asked. "I don't want to watch a chick movie."

"That's not scary." Cam said sarcastically.

"I say we watch it. The timing couldn't be better." Amy said, pressing the button to change to the channel where it was going to play in about 5 minutes.

Silver and Blaze sat down on one of the other couches, and Tails joined them there. Vector went back to his room instead of watching the movie, and Espio also decided to leave, probably to meditate. The Babylon Rogues walked in halfway through the movie during a commercial break. They weren't very happy, they had been found out during the race and were disqualified for cheating. Jet stormed off to his room, Storm followed him, and Wave went into the kitchen to get some water before going into hers.

After Ice Princess, a football movie came on, which the guys liked. At halfway through, Shadow looked down at Cam to find she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He only smiled and kept watching the movie when it came back on. As the movie ended, Vector told them to go back to their rooms and go to bed.

Shadow decided not to wake Cam up, and carried her to her room instead. Despite all of her muscle, she was very light. He laid her down and covered her up with the blankets, which had been carelessly tossed to the end of the bed, the only thing that was really out of place in her room. Her figure skating outfits were neatly hung on the door of her closet, waiting to be packed.

Before he left, he walked over to her bed and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight, Cameron." He said.

~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~

**DONE! Holy crud, that took a long time. Stupid school. _ Seriously, though. I keep on breaking more and more of my own records for longest chapter.**

**It's 12:40 AM. I want sleep. Bear with me.**

**Since I'm approaching chapter 30 quite quickly, I was wondering what I should do with the story. I don't want it to get too long, but I have the rest of high school to cover, you know? (It's kind of funny. I started freshmen year in this story the beginning of my sophomore year. By the time I'm done and start another for sophomore year, I'll probably be a junior. ) I put a poll on my profile, but I made the question too long, so you can't see it all on the poll. So here's the question:**

**Should I find a way to close out the story soon in High School and Figure Skating, then make another story finishing freshmen year before starting a sophomore year story? **

**Or:**

**Should I make this story as long as it needs to be to finish freshmen year, then make one story per grade from then on?**

**Or: **

**Should I do something different than what I mentioned? If you pick this one, please PM me or leave your idea with a review.**

**I'm coming up with this as I go. I have a few things in mind to accomplish throughout the story, but most of the time I go with the flow and make random things up. Please help control my randomness by telling me what you want to see happen in the story. If it's reasonable and doesn't interfere with my pre-existing plans, it will probably show up somewhere. Hey, even if it's rude, or does interfere with my plans, (coughKikiCough) it may still show up. **

**REVIEWS ARE LOVED AND WILL GET YOU OXYGEN COOKIES! :D**

**Thanks to:**

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**Sazstar49**

**Amy Tikal the hedgehog**

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**SonicXfan1**

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**For reviewing!**


	27. Chapter 27

*****Tell me what YOU want to happen in the story! Just add it to a review! I'm always adding and erasing sections because I wonder if the readers will like it or not, and it makes the wait time between chapters LONGER! I work MUCH faster with a goal in mind!*****

**(And P.S.- This doesn't include adding one of your OC's! ;) )**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 27

The next morning, Cam made an earlier start than the rest of the dorm to get ready and go to the rink. This was one of the rare times that Mrs. White actually drove her to the rink. Cam had her first outfit on under her hoodie, leaving the bottom just as the skirt and tights. When the pair arrived, most of the other skaters participating in the competition were already there. She received a number of looks as she walked past, and could make out a few whispers.

"Hey, that's that girl whose coach held her back from competition to train her extra hard." One girl said.

"Really? You mean she's brand new?" Another nearby said.

"Yeah. This is her first competition. But apparently she's big rivals with Hannah."

"Hannah? Are you kidding? She gets top marks every time, though."

"I heard she learned a triple loop in 3 days."

"Wow."

Cam could no longer hear the conversation as she walked farther away from the lounge area to the locker room. She claimed a locker and took her skates out of her bag. Mrs. White took them from her once she sat down to put them on.

"Coach-" Cam began to protest.

"Shush, Cameron." Mrs. White demanded as she inspected the skates thoroughly. Once she deemed them alright, she kneeled down and started lacing the skates onto Cam herself.

"I want you to remember something, Cameron." Mrs. White began to coach. "You're an elite skater. I trained you to be so. But these other skaters know that. Because this is your first competition, they're going to try to play mind games with you to throw you off. They might try to get you to give up before you start. Others will try to make you overconfident. Some will flat out insult you. They have a large bag of tricks. Trust no one." She finished her speech at the same time as lacing Cam's skates up, and stood up.

Cam nodded. "Alright, coach."

At that moment, Hannah and her coach walked in. Hannah put a disgusted look on her face when she saw Cam.

"So look who decided to show up." She said, moving over to the farthest locker possible from Cam's. "Looks like your parents couldn't convince you to drop out."

A dark look passed over Cam's face. Mrs. White noticed this, and began to escort Cam out. "I will not tolerate my skater being treated this way. Brenda, you must set better standards for your skaters than this."

Hannah's coach completely ignored what Mrs. White said. "_My_ standards?" She laughed for a second. "Look at _you._ You're coaching for a freak of nature."

Mrs. White glared at the other coach. "You're a sad, indecent being, Brenda." With that, she walked out to join Cam, who was fortunate enough to not have heard the coach's statement and had begun stretching.

Later, Cam was in a perfect split and holding onto the boot part of her skates when an announcement came on over the intercom.

"ATTENTION SKATERS." It blared. "WARM UPS WILL START IN 15 MINUTES. THE DOORS ARE OPENING FOR SPECTATORS TO ENTER. THANK YOU."

Cam stood up from her split and wandered over towards the door connected to the lobby where people would be entering. Families, who had been present before, entered to wish their sons and daughters good luck. A couple of girls, who were both human, walked up to Cam.

"You're Cameron, right?" One of the girls asked. She was a redhead with green eyes who had on adorable green dress that made her look like a fairy.

Cam nodded. "Hi. Yeah, I'm Cameron."

"You have quite a reputation around here." The other girl, who had black hair, blue eyes and a deep purple dress said.

"I haven't tried developing one." Cam said, trying not to sound arrogant.

"It seems like after working so hard you'd have a better figure." The first girl said, looking her over and smirking.

"Too bad. I bet you don't have a boyfriend, either. It's sad. I heard you have no social life at school, and everyone hates you." The second said.

At that moment, as Cam was about to retaliate, a pair of arms slid around her waist from behind. Shadow hugged her a bit, and Cam smiled up at him.

"You were saying?" Shadow asked the two.

They just stared, dumbfounded, before the black-haired girl snapped out of it and dragged her friend away with her.

"Thanks, Shadow." Cam said. "You always show up at just the right times."

Shadow smiled slightly, but made no comment to her statement. "Good luck out there." He said.

"Thanks." Cam said back.

"**WILL ALL THE FEMALE SKATERS MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE RINK FOR WARM UPS." **The speaker blared once again.

"I'm going to head back to my seat." Shadow said.

"Okay." Cam pecked him on the cheek before they split up.

It was crowded on the ice. There were a lot of girls doing a lot of different things, and no chance for Cam to do her warm-up routine. So instead, she skated around and did a variety of small jumps and spins to loosen herself up. The coaches all kept a watchful eye on the girls out on the ice.

In the stands, everyone's loved ones and local figure skating enthusiasts were sitting and waiting for the event to start. Cream and Charmy had arrived as well, and they had made signs for Cam, which they couldn't wait to show off. Kyle the Dalmatian was sitting nearby, staring at the girls there. He had a blush on his face.

Amy leaned over to Rouge. "Rouge, do you see that guy over there?" She whispered, pointing at Kyle.

Rouge looked the way she was pointing. "Ew. I've seen that guy before. What's he doing here?"

Wave and Blaze, who were talking to each other nearby, saw their conversation and joined in.

"Wait, who are we talking about?" Wave asked in an attempt to get caught up with the conversation.

Amy pointed over towards Kyle again. "That Dalmatian dude."

The two purple girls looked over at him. Wave shuddered, and Blaze gagged a little bit.

"Ugh. That's Kyle." Wave informed them, turning away to avoid making eye contact with the boy.

"He's a nerd and a pervert." Blaze said. "Be glad we're not in the same classes as him."

Nods went throughout the group.

Meanwhile…

"What the crap? Half of those girls out there look anorexic." Sonic said rather loudly.

"You've seen the strict diets they have to keep." Tails said. "They have to watch their weight really carefully."

"This is booooooooriiiiiiiiiiiing." Charmy complained, popping up behind them. "I think I'm going to sing a song! BEE BEE B-MMPH!"

Charmy was cut off by Espio, who grabbed him and had him restrained in the expert way he had developed trough many long, torturous years to practice. "Do NOT sing that song." He demanded, releasing the bee's mouth.

"Fine." Charmy grumbled. He looked around the rink and saw an ad that amused him. "Golden chicken and chicken that's golden~, golden chicken and chicken that's gold~! Golden chicken an-MMPH!"

Espio had grabbed his mouth again. "No more singing, Charmy. You're going to make someone's ears bleed."

Knuckles and Kevin were sitting off to one side on their own talking.

"How should we break it to her?" Kevin asked.

"We should just come right out and say it. There's no point in keeping it from her if she's going to find out anyway." Knuckles crossed his arms and leaned back onto the unoccupied level of bleachers behind him.

"I guess you're right…" Kevin agreed. "She deserves to know."

"**FEMALE SKATERS, PLEASE EXIT THE RINK. MALE SKATERS, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TOWARDS THE RINK FOR WARM-UPS."**

The skaters began filing towards the entrances of the rink.

"Be ready to lose, Cammie." Hannah smirked as she passed Cam to go to the door.

"You'd better be ready for the same, Hannah." Cam countered, though she was ignored.

**~ squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~**

Time passed, and soon it was time for the female skaters' short programs. Hannah was up first, and had finally revealed her outfit. It was a light blue one, covered in sequins of the same color. The back of it was made of criss-crossed straps that went down in a V-shape until they got to her lower back. She herself had been sprayed with glitter spray, and there was even more glitter dusting her eyes.

"Up first is Hannah the Hedgehog, skating to the Dance of the Sugarplum fairy." The first commentator said.

"Well, Bob, this girl has quite the reputation in the figure skating world. She takes her skating quite seriously."

"Lots of girls do, Jim." The first said again. "Hannah is the rival of our rookie skater appearing today, Cameron the Echidna."

"Well, this will be quite interesting, then." Jim said. "Though, personally, I think this girl has overdone it a bit with the shiny things. I think I'm going to go blind!"

"Put on some sunglasses Jim, because it looks like she's about ready to start." Bob said.

Indeed, Hannah was already in her pose, and the music started playing right afterwards, when Hannah started her routine.

"Looks like she's off to a strong start, and what a smile!" Jim commented.

"Yes, this routine here is designed around her strong points. She's staying off of things that are too complicated and going for the execution points here, Jim." Bob continued.

They let the music play, naming off the jumps to the radio and television listeners from then on. Hannah had a flawless performance, as it was designed, as well as receiving thunderous applause.

The two skaters from earlier came on after Hannah, none of them doing quite as well. They too, had a generally simple set of moves for their short program, but had attempted at least one of the more complicated moves in their arsenal, and couldn't quite complete them. Then it was Cam's turn.

Cam skated out onto the ice, not greeted by the same kind of applause the other skaters had gotten.

"Well, here's our rookie and the rival to the current points leader, Cameron the Echidna!" Bob announced as Cam skated around to warm up after resting for so long.

"What a pretty young lady she is, Bob." Jim said. "She has a bigger frame than most of the other skaters out here, something we don't see often."

"Yes, but that means we could see bigger jumps out of her as well." Bob ranted. "Her coach has kept her out of training longer than the other girls in this competition, probably for just that purpose. Let's see."

As Cam skated, she didn't mess up like she did during the preview. She had bigger jumps, and her expressions were real. She seemed to capture the audience as the performance went on, which had underestimated her going into the performance. Her tricky moves made the crowd even more enthusiastic. When she was finally done, she got a standing ovation for her performance.

"Wow! What a wonderful performance from our rookie skater! She made it look like she was a pro out there, Jim!" Bob praised.

"She did that song proud, Bob. Coming up next is the men's figure skating portion, and stick around afterwards, because we're going to give you an inside look at some of these amazing figure skaters' stories." Jim said to the audience.

Meanwhile, Cam had skated back to the seating area with Mrs. White to get her scores. They were high, and gave her the leading spot over the other skaters.

**Squiggle~ Squiggle~ Squiggle~ Squiggle~ Squiggle~ Squiggle~ Squiggle~ Squiggle~ Squiggle~ Squiggle~**

Later, it was time for Cam's long program. Hannah had already come out and done very well, her routine was more complicated than the last, and her artistry was as high as ever.

"Well, Bob, it's time again to see our rookie, Cameron the Echidna!" Jim announced.

"What an amazing story she has, Jim. Do you remember those murders a while back?" Bob asked Jim.

"Yes, yes I do. Terrible." Jim said, shaking his head.

"Well, it turns out, those people were her _parents_. Not only that, but she was there when they happened and saw _all_ of it." Bob continued.

"Wow…" Jim murmured.

"And that wasn't even the _end_ of her troubles from there! She's faced being physically _and _mentally bullied at school, threats to stay out of this _very_ competition, and even bounced back from being paralyzed from the waist down after being hit by a car with the help of magic and her friend, who due to a misunderstanding had _hated_ her with every bone in his body until just recently."

"Wow. You could never tell it by looking at her, Bob." Jim said, observing Cam as she skated out onto the ice, greeted the crowd, and stretched out a bit while circling to her position. "Not many people have that much bravery."

The crowd was cheering loudly for her.

"But clearly, even without knowledge of this, she has emerged to be the crowd favorite." Bob commented.

Cam took her pose.

"Let's watch."

Once again, as Cam skated, you could practically feel the emotions coming out of her. It wasn't mere faces or smiles anymore. She landed every jump, completed every spin. The performance was coming from her heart this time, not just her body.

At the end of Cam's performance, she grinned as she bowed, knowing that she did so well. Then it was the moment of truth. She sat down with Mrs. White awaiting her scores, still breathing heavily. Then, as they scrolled across the screen, it came down to the last number to take the lead from Hannah.

The crowd seemed to hold their breath—And she did it! Cam had beaten Hannah by 3 tenths of a point for first place!

Cam was again grinning and got a hug from Mrs. White in congratulations. They headed back to the area where the skaters were packing up their things, and Cam went to her locker to grab her hoodie. Hannah was the only other person there.

Hannah stormed up to Cam and slapped her in the face.

Cam turned her head back and glared at Hannah, then smirked. "See you at the next competition, Hannah." Then she turned and walked away.

**Squiggle~ Squiggle~ Squiggle~ Squiggle~ Squiggle~ Squiggle~ Squiggle~ Squiggle~ Squiggle~ Squiggle~**

**I know, I know, short chapter. I didn't want to keep everyone waiting too long, though.**

**I'm having writer's block right now. All of my current ideas are going to end up in the story for sophomore year.**

**SUMMER HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN! :)**

**Here's hoping that I get over my writer's block and get writing!**

**REVIEWS ARE LOVED AND WILL GET YOU OXYGEN COOKIES! :D**

**Thanks to:**

**nerf elite 228 (anonymous reviewer)**

**Lovewizard11 (anonymous reviewer)**

**Lizzy (anonymous reviewer)**

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**SS-angel (anonymous reviewer)**

**Nuncdbcj (anonymous reviewer)**

**yuoitrnen bh (anonymous reviewer)**

**lollllgirtrrrl (anonymous reviewer)**

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**Falcoraqx**

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**HaosBlossum**

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**Kyogreperson**

**HaveIgoneoffthedeependyet**

**ColurfulStar**

**EchidnaGirl**

**AlyssaCookie**

**GalexiatheChao**

**For reviewing!**


	28. Chapter 28

*****NOTICE: I'm going to be changing my name soon, as soon as I get the next chapter of Fighting the Odds out. My username will go from amethystuchiha to Symphony-of-the-Soul. You have been warned! *****

**Well, for this chapter, I must thank Echidnagirl for giving me some dialogue for part of the story. I directly quoted her, and though I won't point out exactly which part of the story is hers, it belongs to her. Not that she'd sue me. Right? :D Right? …you know what, she would sue me. That's why this is here. Much thanks to Echidnagirl!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 28

Following the competition, after the congratulations were given out and thanks given in return, it was time for business.

"Now, Cameron, about this boy…" Mrs. White said. They were in Cam's room, away from everyone else. "You do not have my permission to date him."

"But-" Cam began to protest, but Mrs. White cut her off simply by putting her hand up.

"But nothing, Cameron. It's wonderful that you found someone you have feelings for, and I believe it has improved your artistry, particularly in Romeo and Juliet. But you know as well as I that your life takes many twists and turns all in the matter of hours. I can't have you get closer to this boy. If you lose him, in the way that so many high school relationships end, the blow to you needs to be as soft as possible. That disaster with Kevin set you back too far, and it will be even worse than that."

"…Alright, Coach. I'll respect your decision." Cam said, her heart sinking.

All Mrs. White did was nod and walk out of the room.

As Cam emerged after Mrs. White, it was Kevin's turn to approach her. He looked strangely nervous.

"Cam?"

"Hm?" Cam said, snapping her attention to Kevin and out of the small daze she was in.

"Knuckles and I finished the part of translation from before. We think you should take a look at it." He said, handing her the stack and the papers with the translation on it.

Cam started reading it, and slowly developed a concerned look on her face as she read on. When she was done, she looked up at Kevin.

"Seriously? A demon?" She asked. "It sounds so unbelievable… but I do believe in ghosts and other supernatural beings, and demons do go right along with them… but what the heck did our ancestors screw up so bad to unleash a demon that you had to have 3 'chosen' magic users renew its seal every generation?"

"Cam… turn the page. There's a little more." Kevin instructed.

Cam blinked for a second, turned the page, and read through. None of her emotions showed through this time.

"I'm going to let it take over my body until the seal is in place…?" She sighed, still looking depressed. "Well, it's not like we're going to be going there any time soon, and it's been done before, obviously, so I'm sure I'll be fine." She smiled for a second. "It looks like you're going to be more nervous about it than me."

Kevin still didn't look too sure. "You don't seem like you're completely registering this… What happened?"

"How did you- whatever. It's nothing. Just talk to me later, I'll get over it." Cam said, trying to brush it off.

"Alright. Tomorrow." Kevin nodded.

Cam walked over to Shadow, who was in the corner, waiting for her.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey." Shadow answered. He assumed that her depressed face was more of a tired one, and decided to take her hand, but she pulled it away. Shadow raised an eyebrow at her.

"Um… I… I just agreed with Coach that I wouldn't date you." Cam said, struggling to make eye contact. "I… really wish that I could… but with skating… Coach doesn't want me to have any distractions…" She paused, deciding not to tell Shadow about the rest of the reason Mrs. White wanted her not to date him. "So… I guess we're breaking up."

Shadow looked at her for a second. "You look like you don't like this decision as much as I don't."

"…I know… I don't like it, either… but what Coach says, goes…"

"Have you ever considered keeping secrets from her?" Shadow asked. He took Cam's hand and refused to let go this time.

"I have… but it's never worked."

"Well, now it's different. This time you're going to have help." He pulled her up to himself and wrapped his hands around her waist. "You said you love me, didn't you?"

Cam was blushing like crazy by now. It was becoming increasingly difficult for her to not make eye contact with Shadow. "I did…"

Shadow took a hand off of Cam's waist to put it under her chin and make her look up at him. "Then what do you say?"

Cam's eyes shut tight, and she pushed Shadow away from her. "No." Her eyes opened once she was a safe distance from him. "I'm not going to lie to her."

Shadow's usual frown deepened. "Then that's your loss."

**~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~**

The next day, Blaze had invited all of the girls into her room to take a look at something. "You know that website I told you about?" She asked them.

"Oh yeah, you never did show that to us." Amy nodded.

"Well, I'm going to show it to you now." Blaze said, pulling out her laptop. She started typing things into the web browser while the others looked over her shoulder.

"That's a nice laptop. Where'd you get it?" Wave asked, studying it.

"My parents gave it to me. We're pretty well off. Apparently we're closely related to royalty." Blaze said, not looking up from the screen.

"Why didn't you mention it before?" Rouge asked.

"I learned early on that if I mentioned it first thing to people, they would treat me differently and expect something from me. I don't want that." Blaze explained. She leaned away from the screen to give the other girls a good view of it.

On the screen was a well-organized webpage.

The title read: _Mobius Academy Underground _

"This is where we have a bunch of forums for people to tell their tales of what the 'untouchable' people at school do to us. We present all of the information to the teachers after they become vulnerable, like Hannah and Peter's flunkies, after they've been dumped." Blaze explained. She clicked on one of the links, reading: _Hannah_.

On Hannah's topic, there were already thousands of pages reporting things she had done.

"As you can see, Hannah's probably going to go to jail after she gets out of the school. We've gotten enough here that's good enough to bring to the police."

"Awesome, Blaze!" Amy said.

Suddenly, a small bit of music played, and a minimized window at the bottom of the screen flashed. Blaze pulled it open and clicked "_Answer_" on the screen. An image of Silver and the other guys popped onto the screen. Like the girls with Blaze, the other guys were just reclining randomly around the room.

"Seriously, Silver? You're chatting with us on the webcam when you can walk out two doors and talk with us in person?" Blaze asked, laughing slightly.

"But this is cooler…" Silver said sheepishly. This only made Blaze laugh more.

"Alright. What's up?" Blaze said.

"Did you show them the website?" Silver asked.

"Just now, yes." She nodded.

"Good. I did, too. So, we were wondering, do you want to go to the mall and play laser tag?" Silver asked on behalf of the others. He looked hopeful.

Blaze turned to the other girls in a questioning manner.

"Sounds like fun. As long as we can go shopping afterwards." Rouge said.

"I definitely would want to go shopping if we were going to the mall." Amy agreed.

"I'm in. And I say we go boys vs. girls in laser tag. Losers have to carry the bags." Wave smirked.

Cam shrugged. "I don't care."

Blaze turned back to the laptop. "Then we're in."

Silver grinned. "Awesome! I'll get Kevin to come."

Blaze smiled. "See you in 5 seconds, then." She closed out the windows and turned off her laptop, then stood up. The girls came out of the room and the girls' hallway, meeting the boys that were doing the same.

"Are we ready?" Silver asked. Nods went through the group. "Then let's go."

As they left the dorm, Kevin came to meet them at the school gates. They began walking to the bus stop. Cam felt very awkward around Shadow, so she walked away from him, with Blaze, Wave, and Rouge. Amy was by Sonic, but still not far from the other girls. She turned to them.

"So, let's make a plan. What are we going to shop for?"

"There will be a homecoming dance coming up soon." Blaze said.

"Oh, so we could shop for dresses!" Amy said happily.

"Forget that, we need to make a strategy for laser tag. We're doing boys versus girls, and we're seriously outnumbered." Wave pulled Amy away from Sonic as they boarded the bus, and they sat in a totally different section than them.

"I can fool Knuckie. He's gullible enough." Rouge offered.

Wave nodded. "Good. I can take care of Jet and Storm. But those weren't the ones I was worried about."

"Most of them are probably going to run around like idiots searching for us. They're guys. It's what they do." Blaze said.

"We can use that." Wave answered. "Instead of looking for them, we need to hide and wait for them to come to us. Pinkie, can you deal with your boyfriend?"

Amy winked, flashing a pose. "Of course."

Wave turned back to Blaze and Cam. "You two are in charge of the others, then."

"Right." Blaze nodded.

"Got it." Cam nodded, not looking too enthusiastic.

"And of course, when you're hiding, don't hit them head on. Wait until they have their backs turned." Wave offered.

The bus stopped, and the gang unloaded and went into the mall, heading straight for the laser tag arena. Lucky for them, no one else was there other than the employees. They paid for admission, and went into an area where another employee ran them through the rules and gave them their equipment.

"Welcome to Laser City." An employee girl said. "What teams are you going to be in?"

"Boys vs. Girls." Wave answered right away.

"Ooh, daring move. You'd better watch out, you're outnumbered. Alright. Girls will get the red gear and boys will get the green." The girl led them into a room where there were vests, headsets, and laser guns lining the walls. One side held red gear, while the other held green. "Please put on a vest in your color, and then I'll help you with the rest." She instructed.

As the gang put on their vests, the girl went around tightening them to fit each person, and then helping them put on their headgear and learn how to work their guns. When everyone was suited up, they were led out to another area, overlooking the arena. One half of it was glowing red, the other was green. The glow was the only thing illuminating the otherwise black area.

"Before you can go in, I have to tell you some rules. Each of you can be hit three times with another team's laser before you're out. You can use the headsets to talk to each other. When you get hit three times, you're vest will start to flash all over, and you'll have to take off your headgear and make your way back to the entrance, in which time you cannot speak to anyone. You're not allowed to bring any real weapons into this area, and you should not shoot the lasers into each other's eyes. You will all start at team bases, and when the signal is given, will have to leave them, to go into whichever area of the arena you wish. You can be shot anywhere in the arena, the different colored lights are just there to tell you where you are. No roughhousing, and have fun!" The girl announced. She led them into the arena, making the girls go down one path and the boys down the other to get to their bases. Within the bases, there was a screen, telling them to wait for the game to start. The girl left the arena, closed the door, and pressed a button. A countdown started on the screens.

_**3… 2… 1… GO!**_

Both the girls and boys instantly took off in different directions out of their bases. Wave hid behind a large pole in the middle of the red zone. Cam hid in a corner facing away from the boys' half, just beside it. Rouge chose another corner like this, though instead of having her back to it like Cam, she kneeled down and pointed her gun around the corner. Amy and Blaze stayed farther back than the others, Blaze choosing the intersection of a few paths and Amy choosing a place very close to the base where she could see it, but couldn't be seen from it.

Sonic, Jet, Storm, and Knuckles did the predictable, and ran straight for the girls' area to track them down. Knuckles went right by the corner Rouge was in, taking no notice of her amongst the rest of the same color of glowing objects. Rouge grabbed him before he could run any farther, and held his gun down so he couldn't shoot her.

"Hey, Knuckie. I have a proposition for you. We make an alliance not to shoot each other unless we're the only ones left. I don't want to have to deal with you when I could be focusing on other things. And I know you don't want to have to deal with me, given that I've had training operating guns and could have easily taken you down as you ran past."

Knuckles raised an eyebrow at Rouge.

"Come on, Knuckie, it's a game. What harm could it do?" Rouge urged.

"Well… alright, Batgirl. But this better not be some trick." Knuckles started running back in the direction he had been going before.

Then, Rouge turned and shot him three times rapid fire while his back was turned. As soon as Knuckles' vest started flashing rapid fire, he ripped his headgear off angrily and turned to Rouge.

"What the heck, Batgirl?" He stood his ground.

"Sorry, Knuckie." Rouge winked at Knuckles and blew him a kiss, then moved to another location. Knuckles grumbled and stormed off to where they had entered.

"One down." Rouge announced to the other girls.

Jet and Storm moved together, rather obviously as well. They ran straight down the middle, giving Wave a clear shot. She quickly shot Storm, the biggest target, making his vest start to flash rapid fire. Jet hid behind a wall seeing this. Storm sadly took off his headset and started walking to the door.

"There's a girl in the middle on the red side." He said into the headset. As he was speaking, Wave ran in and rounded the corner, shooting Jet 3 times. As she was shooting him, though, he managed to get her twice.

"Make that three down." Wave said into her headset.

Jet tore off his headset. "Wave!"

Wave laughed at Jet. "Serves you right. You should have been more careful and kept your guard up."

"Perhaps you should be doing the same." Espio's voice came from behind Wave. She felt a gun press up against her back.

"That's cheap. Sneaking up from behind? Only thugs do that." Wave said, turning to look at Espio.

"Hmph. You should have paid more attention and covered your back." Espio replied, still not pulling the trigger.

"Well, maybe you should have paid more attention whenever you picked out what color scale dye you were getting. Or is pink just your favorite color?"

The chameleon stiffened. "This happens to be a completely natural shade of fuchsia."

Wave turned her head, eyes focused on the barely visible figure behind her. "Yeah. For Barney."

"I was of the impression that you specialized in mechanics, not insults."

"So, I'm multi-gifted." She shrugged, before adding figuratively, "Shoot me."

"Hn." The laser moved a bit against her back as he shuffled his feet. "That I can do." Even so, the laser did not fire.

Wave clicked her beak impatiently, knowing that she needed to change her approach if she had any hope of winning the laser tag match... "I thought you were all about principles, and honor, and whatnot. Shooting a girl? That seems... Beneath you."

He didn't relax for even a second, knowing far better than to trust the swallow. "I follow orders."

"So you compromise your morals for an objective?" She smirked, though it was invisible in the dark. "Impressive."

Before he could respond, there was the sound of shooting from another part of the court, and Wave's head instantly turned in that direction. The chameleon didn't move, hiding any surprise from the sudden sound.

Wave listened to the shots, really hoping that one of the girls wasn't being shot down, but she hid the wavering hope, remarking cockily, "Looks like another of your boys is down. Care to...-" The bird felt the laser gun detach itself from her back, and, knowing it might be her only chance, she spun around, ready to shoot the chameleon... "...-give up?" She blinked quickly, looking around, but there was no sign of Espio. '_Where did he...?_' She shook her head, trying to keep her focus on the game. '_Forget it.'_

Still, as she ran toward the side of the court where the shots had come from, she couldn't help but wonder why the mysterious chameleon had let her go...

Amy patiently waited for Sonic. She knew he would speed right past the other girls, since they were hiding. She had learned from experience that his cocky attitude and confidence about his speed would make him think he could catch all the girls at the base. She also knew, though, that he couldn't run as fast in the arena, with all of the barely visible obstacles in his path. So she waited, listening for him. Soon enough, a green, glowing streak entered the area of the base. She could just barely make out Sonic looking around, confused. Bingo. She had assumed right. Amy stood still, knowing that Sonic wouldn't make her out amongst everything else glowing the same color as her. That is, until Sonic turned away. With the speed and reactions of an expert, Amy got Sonic in the back three times. She hid again, while Sonic's vest lit up. He turned around, looking for whoever shot him, but with no luck. He sighed and took his headset off, walking back to the entrance. Amy moved on, looking for another guy who had wandered into their area.

"4 down now. I got Sonic." Amy said into her headset.

Shadow ran out, not quite as fast as the other guys on the team. He carefully searched each corner he passed, pointing his gun first, and looking second. He saw nothing as he approached the girls' half of the arena. They probably didn't want to go into the other colored area. It was smart, in their side, they were camouflaged. He took in his surroundings. There was a wall in front of him, making a small corner that faced towards the girls' side, away from the guys'. He made a mental note of that as a potential place to take cover behind. Still, he knew he would have to check to be sure it was clear. Wary of any girls hiding down the passageways, he quietly moved to the inside of the small set of walls. As he peeked around the corner, he saw Cam, looking the other way. He drew back carefully, not wanting to shoot her. No, this was an opportunity to talk to her. He peeked around the corner again. Perfect. She was still scanning the other hallway opposite him. As quietly as possible, he came up behind her and grabbed her laser gun from her. As she swung around and before she could speak, he dropped both of the guns that were in his possession, covered her mouth with one hand, and took off her headpiece with the other. He set it down on the ground, followed by his own, then moved the same hand to her arm, which was just about ready to hit him. He pinned her against the wall, in the corner, preventing any means of escape. He slowly took his hand off of her mouth, moving it to the side of her head, just above her shoulder. Already, a blush was forming on her face.

"What do you want?" Cam said in a harsh whisper.

"Don't act like you don't know." Shadow answered back.

Cam stayed quiet and looked away, again refusing to make eye contact. That's when Shadow noticed something. Even with just the glow of the lights, he could see the same look in her eyes that she had when Peter had her pinned against the wall in the lunch room. She was giving up, expecting to get hurt, and battling with her own emotions. Shadow slowly removed his hand from her wrist, hoping to take away part of the problem. The hand instead moved to her cheek, asking her to look up at him. To his luck, she did just that.

"Shadow, I love you, I do, but…"

"Don't. I shouldn't have asked you to go against someone so close to you." Shadow cut her off. "I don't want this to affect how you act around me. I don't want you to act the way you did around Kevin, or even the way you act around Peter or Hannah, around me. All this means is that PDAs aren't allowed anymore."

Shadow could tell that definitely got to Cam. The look in her eyes changed, and she visibly relaxed.

"So, friends?" Shadow asked.

Cam smiled, and wrapped her hands around Shadow's neck. "I think the better term would be friends with benefits. Just a few less benefits than adults have."

Just then, the ring of a laser gun shooting three times could be heard behind Shadow, and his vest started flashing. Blaze giggled behind them.

"Break it up, you two, and get out of here, Shadow. We have a game to win." Blaze said. She moved to her headset. "And that makes 5."

"We have the advantage now, girls. Time to use it." Wave said. "Let's move in. The other guys are probably waiting for us on their half. Amy, Rouge, come to the right side of the arena. Blaze and Cam, go together on the left."

Blaze and Cam moved to the left side of the arena, nodding to each other as they met. Cam moved to the front, and they both carefully made their way into the boys' half of the arena.

As they passed a wall, about halfway into the boys' side, Cam noticed a vest pattern out of the corner of her eye.

"Blaze, get back!" She yelled. She aimed a couple of shots at Espio before moving back into cover herself. Epsio was only hit once.

Espio aimed a shot at Cam, but only managed to hit her twice before she managed to hide. Cam hid on the other side of the wall Espio was by, and Blaze moved to a place opposite the passage they were going down, where she could see the both of them. Espio went around the corner, aiming at Cam, but Cam shot him in the front at the same time as Blaze shot him in the back, maiking his vest flash and his gun not shoot, right before he could pull the trigger.

"Hmph." Was Espio's only comment, before taking off his headset and walking towards the entrance.

At the same time as Espio walked away, Blaze could see Kevin running towards them, probably alerted to their position by the noise. She quickly hid.

"Cam, Kevin's coming up behind you." Blaze warned into the headset, in a low tone of voice.

Cam heard this, and peeked around the corner. Kevin was right there, and gave her no time to react. He shot her, making her vest light up. Cam sighed, and took off her headset.

"You always were the better one when it came to video games." She said, before walking off.

Kevin, unaware of Blaze's presence, watched her walk off, before starting to go back in the direction he had come from. Blaze took the opportunity to shoot Kevin three times, making his vest light up and flash as well.

Kevin looked around, trying to figure out who shot him, but he couldn't see anyone. He took off his headset, then ran to catch up to Cam on his way out.

"They got Cam. Be careful. But we managed to get 2 of them out." Wave, Amy and Rouge heard from their headsets as they moved into the boys' side.

They passed a wall, and, hearing the sound of a laser being fired, instantly dodged to find cover. Rouge was hit once.

"Where did that come from?" Wave asked, looking around.

"It came from behind us." Rouge said.

As they turned to look behind them, each girl was shot another time, making Wave's vest flash. She took her headset off angrily.

"Crap!" She stormed off to the entrance.

Amy and Rouge, on the other hand, moved away again, both seeing Tails disappear behind a wall. Nodding to each other, they split up and each went on either side of him to track him down. As Rouge rounded a corner, she got shot a third time, her vest flashing. Amy rounded the other corner at the same time, and while Tails' back was turned, shot at him. In the process, Tails also spun around and shot at Amy. By the time Amy had gotten Tails three times, he had hit her twice.

"Blaze, it's down to you and-" Before Amy could finish, she was shot a third time, from behind. Communications were cut off from the headset. She spun around. "Silver!"

"What?" Silver shrugged. "It's not like any of you didn't do that."

Amy pulled off her headset and walked out of the arena.

Silver stayed where he was, while Blaze ran towards where she had heard the noise before. She stopped when she saw Silver.

"So, it's down to you and me, eh?" She asked.

"Looks like it." Silver said. "Count of three?"

Blaze smiled and nodded. They had always preferred to settle things fast when it was down to just them.

"One…" She started.

"Two…" Silver said.

"THREE!" They both yelled, pointing the laser guns at each other. They both pulled their triggers as fast as they could.

A vest started flashing.

Silver smiled. "You got me."

Blaze smiled back. "Yep."

The girl running the laser tag arena spoke into the PA system. "Looks like the girls won! Both of you can come back now."

**~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle**

"I demand a re-count!" Sonic yelled. Everyone was completely un-geared, and in the main mall area now.

"There are no re-counts for laser tag. Not that you'd know. All of the hair gel you wear probably sapped out your brain a long time ago. There are only rematches. And we have permission to decline a rematch. Which we do." Wave said.

"But-" Jet started to join the argument.

"No buts, Jet!" Wave cut him off. "I'm sick of putting up with you! We won, so for once, you have to listen to me!"

An old man walking by noticed the argument, and walked up to the boys. "Listen, boys… here is a valuable life lesson that took me 40 years to learn… let the women have what they want. They'll get it anyway, and your life will be much better if you don't argue with them." The man left it at that and shuffled away.

There was silence from Sonic and Jet, a rare thing.

"Let's take that as a yes and go." Amy said, turning to seek out some dress stores.

The other girls followed, and were soon reluctantly joined by the boys.

When Amy found a dress store she had deemed suitable, she walked in. The boys, as well as Cam and Blaze, remained outside.

"We'll stay out here." Knuckles said, speaking for all of them.

Amy, Wave and Rouge glanced at each other.

"That's fine, Knuckie, except Blaze and Cam, get in here." Rouge demanded.

Cam shrugged. "I never go to the dances, though. It's asking to be picked on, personally."

"I just don't like dresses." Blaze said.

Wave walked over to them. "You guys, go pick out nice dress shirts for the dance, we're not going to hang out with you if you look like slobs. Now, as for you two, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Cam, you shouldn't be worrying about other people anymore. You're just sending signals that you don't trust us. And Blaze, if you don't wear a dress or a skirt to homecoming, people are going to start thinking you're a lesbian. Now let's go."

Both girls were speechless, and allowed themselves to be dragged into the shop by Wave.

"Wow." Sonic said, watching them go.

"That's Wave for you. Master of brutal honesty." Jet said, shrugging.

The guys headed off to look for clothes in some random, unfortunate department store.

Inside the dress store, Wave and Rouge automatically took charge.

"Okay, so we're going to find dresses that will make the boys' eyes pop out of their heads, and make every other girl at the dance jealous." Wave said.

"That, and you have to pick out a dress in a color you don't normally wear, that also goes with your color. That means no green, and Wave, no black. Amy, no red. Cam, no green or black. Blaze, no green, black, white or purple. Run whatever dresses you have by Wave or I." Rouge added.

Cam and Blaze sighed, moving to the racks to see what they could find. Rouge, Wave and Amy also started looking, only more enthusiastically.

It didn't take Rouge long to pick out her dress, she went straight to anything purple, looked at it, and if it wasn't the kind of fit she wanted, she put it back. After that, she was down to two options, and picked her favorite of those. Without trying it on, she went over to Blaze to help her instead.

"How's it going, hon?" She asked.

Blaze looked unamused. "I don't like any of this. Not only that, but I have no idea what to look for."

Rouge looked at her sympathetically, the motioned for Blaze to follow her. "Follow me."

Rouge led Blaze around the store, picking up various dresses, talking as she went. "Hmm… given the colors that you could wear… I think silver would be the best, and probably most ironic choice…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blaze asked, raising an eyebrow. She couldn't suppress a small blush from creeping onto her face.

"I think you know." Rouge responded, not looking up from her work. "Now, I believe a shorter dress would work better for you… maybe…"

She pulled one off of the rack.

"No way. You are _not_ putting me in that thing." Blaze said.

"Just try it on." Rouge insisted, handing it to Blaze. "Or I'll pick out the ugliest dress in the store and make you wear it."

Blaze, defeated, went along with it.

Wave was the next person to find what she wanted. She had a few more color options to choose from, but halfway through looking at every dress in one of the colors, she found a dress that she really liked. Not bothering looking any more, Wave held that one, and decided to help Cam find something, like Rouge had done for Blaze.

"Any luck?" Wave asked, going up to Cam.

"Not really…" Cam said, looking through more dresses. "Though I do think I want the dress to be purple or turquoise…"

"Go with purple." Wave said. "You'll have more options that way."

"Alright…" Cam said, moving to the purple dresses.

Wave supervised, going to the rack Cam was at and looking through the other side. "You'd be better off in a shorter dress. Not as short as those figure skating outfits, though."

"I wouldn't have even considered something that short. Don't worry." Cam said. She held up a dress to Wave. "What about this one?"

"That's ugly. Put it back." Wave said.

"You don't have to be so blunt, jeez…" Cam murmured. Still, she kept looking.

Wave held up a couple of dresses to Cam, but just shook her head and put them back where they were.

Finally, Cam held up a different dress.

"That one may just work…" Wave said. "Alright. Come on, let's try these on."

Meanwhile, Amy had just found a dress that she liked. She went and showed it to Rouge, who approved.

They all decided to take turns trying on their dresses, and would come out and model the dress to each other.

Amy went first, and emerged in a brown, strapless dress that went just past her knees. The bust area's design appeared wrinkled on the outside and was smooth on the inside, made possible by more than one layer of fabric. The dress had a thick empire waist, with a medium-sized bow attached right under it. The skirt under the empire waist was the same brown material as the top, but was looser, so it would flow out if Amy moved or spun, and was covered closely by brown, sheer material. After striking a few poses, she went back into the dressing room to change back.

"That looks great on you, Amy!" Cam called through the dressing room walls.

"It will look even better once we get her some heels and accessories." Rouge said.

Next was Blaze, much to her dismay. She took a while changing, and was blushing a little bit as she came out.

"This… is too short… and too flashy… and…" Blaze started.

"And it looks amazing!" Rouge said.

"You're going to have to step out of your comfort zone, Blaze." Wave added.

Blaze's dress was silver, and sparkly all over. It was a stretch, but it worked well on Blaze, and wouldn't blind people like Hannah's dress did in the figure skating competition. It was strapless as well, but the bodice was more fitted, and slanted down at the sides for a more open back. There was a wide section of elastic just under the bust for support, but it could barely be seen through the fabric. The skirt draped down to mid-thigh.

"Yeah… but…" Blaze started.

"Blaze, trust me, you may be uncomfortable now, but once you get used to it, you're going to feel beautiful, and confident, and-" Cam was cut off by Rouge.

"And sexy as hell." Rouge finished. "Now go change back."

Blaze clearly took the "Go change back" better than the "sexy as hell", retreating back into the dressing room.

Cam was next.

Her dress was made of a satin-y, violet material. It was also strapless, and the bodice was more fitted than Amy's dress, but less fitted than Blaze's. The waistline on the dress was wrinkled horizontally. It was a bubble-hem dress, where the skirt went down to just above the knee, and gave her a slightly fuller shape than she had.

"I do believe I like this better than any of the dresses I've had to wear in the past." Cam said, doing a few tiny poses.

"Good thing ballroom dancing has gotten you used to moving in heels. Because you're going to have to wear some." Wave said.

Cam's smile dropped. "Great…."

"Hurry up, it's my turn." Rouge said.

Cam quickly went back and changed.

Rouge came out later wearing a long, floor-length, strapless dress. It was only one or two shades darker purple than Cam's and had a huge slit starting at the upper thigh lever going all the way down to the floor. The bodice was even more fitted and much more revealing than Blaze's dress, with the fabric very wrinkled and going down into the waistline, overlapping at one point. The waist, which was the only thing holding most of the dress up, was covered in a ton of silver glitter. The skirt hugged her hips until about mid-thigh, where the seams suddenly relaxed, letting the slit in the dress do its work.

Amy wolf whistled as Rouge came out.

"Who is _that_ sexy lady?" Wave said playfully.

Blaze laughed. "It looks great on you, Rouge."

"I don't think any guy will be able to resist you in that dress." Cam said.

Rouge posed. "I know, right? Okay, Wave. You're next." Rouge said, as she went back in to change.

Wave came out in a dress that was a very unexpected color: hot pink! Unlike the other dresses, this was one-shouldered instead of strapless. Just before the pink fabric went over the shoulder, there was a pink ring where the fabric for the front and the fabric for the back attached on either side. The dress hugged Wave's curves all the way down to the knees before flaring out and touching the ground. The dress fit so well, it looked like it was made specifically for her!

"That's amazing, Wave! You're showing off your curves that most guys probably never thought you had! And you're wearing a color people never thought you would wear! But it looks fabulous!" Amy spouted.

"Fabulous is not the word for this, Amy." Cam said in a very serious tone, not smiling. That is, until she started grinning. "The word is freaking EPIC!"

"Alright, alright, quit freaking out." Wave said, going back into the changing room.

After Wave changed, they paid for their dresses, and were lucky enough to have come in during a storewide sale. Turns out that the truck that was going to deliver the signs to the store was in an accident and couldn't deliver them, so it ended up being a pleasant surprise to their customers. The girls exited with their bags, and looked around, waiting for the boys.

**~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle**

While the girls were looking at dresses, the boys were having a hard time with dress shirts. Most of them had no idea where to go or what to look for.

"Alright, since most of you are too stupid to know what to do, I'm going to be the fashion expert here!" Jet announced. He started leading the way through the racks. He stopped, and grab a couple of random shirts, throwing them at Sonic and Knuckles. "Go put those on."

Shadow and Espio managed to wander away from the group, and each picked out a dress shirt within 5 minutes, paid, and sat down to watch what Jet was doing. The other guys just went into the stalls of a dressing room, and tried on whatever Jet threw over to them. Storm went and fetched whatever Jet sent him for.

Sonic came out first, dressed like a gangster. "Jet, I don't think this is right. And if it is, I need a belt."

"No you don't! That's why you're wearing boxers!" Jet said.

Sonic sweatdropped. "I don't think so."

"Fine!" Jet grumbled, as he went to look for more clothes.

Tails came out next, looking like a cowboy. Except everything was too big for him. "Jet, I think I should just go look in another section, nothing here is going to be small enough for me…" Tails suggested.

"Shut up, geek, of course you would think so. But this is _cool_. Which I'm sure is new for you."

"I look like a cowboy."

"Fine, then! I'll get you your stupid _geek_ clothes!" Jet said.

Knuckles and Silver came out at the same time. They were both in tuxedos with large, dark sunglasses.

"Men in Black? Really?" Silver asked, turning to Jet.

"You're dressed up, aren't you?" Jet said stubbornly.

"This is unnecessary." Knuckles said.

"Then go back in, I'll find you something else!" Jet ordered.

Kevin emerged this time, with wizard robes and a pointy, starred hat. "This is a wizard costume."

"Hello? Dress robes." Jet said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No." Kevin said, going back into his changing stall.

Sonic came out, fuming. "JET?"

Sonic was in a black spandex shirt, with black spandex pants to match. The shirt was one shouldered, and Sonic also had on black, fingerless gloves, with hearts cut out of them. He also wore round, Ozzy Ozbourne shades.

At the yell, the other guys came out and looked, all immediately cracking up. Shadow and Espio both smirked.

Knuckles finally managed to say something through the laughter. "Dude… it looks like Lady Gaga threw up on you…" Knuckles couldn't help it, and started laughing again.

Sonic went back into the changing stall and slammed the door.

Next, all of the guys came out at the same time, all looking pissed off at Jet.

Sonic was wearing an infamous pair of blue overalls, brown shoes, red undershirt, and a red hat with a large 'M' on it, all topped off by a bushy, fake mustache.

Tails' attire was almost exactly the same as Sonic's, only with a green undershirt, a green hat with an 'L' on it, and a slightly less impressive fake mustache.

Silver was in a green tunic, a brown belt with a sword and sheath on it, tights, brown, more rustic looking boots, and a ridiculously long, pointed green hat.

Kevin was in a long, pink dress, with golden armor on the shoulders, a surcoat draped down the front, a tiara, and some long, white gloves.

Knuckles was probably the angriest of all of them, aside from Kevin, because he was in a chicken suit. A gold-colored one.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?"

"ARE YOU SAYING I'M A LOSER?"

"I LOOK LIKE A GEEK GOING TO A COMIC CONVENTION!"

"I AM A _MALE_, AND I AM _NOT_ A TRANSVESTITE!"

"WHY AM I IN A CHICKEN SUIT?"

Jet was only cracking up laughing. He couldn't seem to stop, or breathe. Just when the guys were closing in, and Jet was sure to be beaten to a bloody pulp, a sales representative showed up.

"Whoa… um… excuse me, but would you happen to need any help?" The man asked.

"They just need some dress shirts for a school dance." Shadow said, before any of them could answer.

"Oh." The sales representative looked at them and sweatdropped. "Well, if you would get changed back into your normal clothes, I'll show you where they are.

You couldn't have gotten them out of the clothes they were in faster.

The sales representative took them to where the dress shirts were, and had them all out of the store with purchases in hand within 10 minutes. As they wandered back to where they had left the girls, they saw them with smoothies, holding bags from more than one store, reclining, looking quite bored.

"Jeez, what took you guys so long?" Amy asked, handing Sonic her bags.

"Jet." Kevin answered, looking unamused.

Cam walked up and inspected Kevin. "Is that… glitter?"

"Don't ask." Kevin said grumpily. "Let me take your bags."

Cam held the bags away as Kevin tried to take them. "Nope!"

"Come on. We lost. It was part of the deal." Kevin urged.

"I'm perfectly fine carrying my own bags, thank you." Cam said stubbornly.

"Hey, look! Gullible is written on the ceiling!" Kevin said, looking up and pointing.

"Where?" Cam looked up, and loosened her grip on the bags. Kevin took this opportunity to take the bags from her.

Cam realized that there was nothing written on the ceiling, then glared at Kevin. "Hey!"

"Works every time." Kevin smirked.

Cam play-punched Kevin in the arm. "Jerk."

Rouge handed her bags to Knuckles, and Wave handed hers to Jet, who handed them to Storm. Silver took Blaze's bags from her.

"Did you get everything you needed?" Silver asked Blaze.

Blaze nodded. "Yeah. We got tired of waiting."

"Then let's go back." Jet said. "I'm tired."

"You're going to be more than tired when I'm done with you…" Knuckles growled at Jet.

Jet didn't notice.

**~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~Squiggle~**

**Aaaaaaand done with chapter 28!**

**Homecoming is next chapter, what will happen there!**

**Hannah and Peter have also been strangely quiet!**

**And what's going to happen at the first sports events?**

**These are the questions that haunt me…**

**In other news, I would like to ask you guys to look up a writer by the username of Robyn Isabella Prower. She just published her first story, and went so far as to PM me asking for a review. If you have the time, please, check out her story, and review it! Because, as you know…**

**REVIEWS ARE LOVED AND WILL GET YOU OXYGEN COOKIES! :D**

**Thanks to:**

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**Amyroserox**

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**For reviewing!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

**And, just so you know, I'm going to be using some football terminology in this chapter. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, as I know practically NOTHING about football other than what I've learned from being in marching band.**

Chapter 29

-Friday, night of the homecoming football game-

The entire school was in the football stadium for a pep rally. The band was playing, and a paper mache replica of the visiting team's mascot, a knight, was set out on a pole above a fire pit. The cheerleaders, who were down on the field with the football team, had a large banner out, reading "Nuke the Knights!" with a picture of a chess piece knight being about a millisecond away from being blasted to smithereens with a nuclear warhead. Clearly someone on the cheerleading squad had some anger-management issues. But hey, the beginnings of the words both made the same sounds. The band was currently playing the school's fight song, which the cheerleaders were dancing to. As the song ended, Omeleteman stepped out onto the field with a microphone, communicating with the students through the speakers.

"Thank you! Now, are you all ready for tonight's game?" He spoke enthusiastically, but didn't yell. He was answered by loud cheering from the stands.

"Well, then…" He walked over to the pole holding the knight mascot up, then picked it up and lowered it into the fire until it caught, where he held it up so everyone could see. "Best of luck, football team! Nuke the Knights!" With that, Omeleteman handed the microphone off to the senior president of the student council to finish the festivities.

"Well, folks, looks like this game is going to go down to the wire to determine the winner with the current score being Fighters: 14 Knights: 14, Fighters with ownership of the ball, and with 2 minutes left to go in the fourth quarter!" The announcer guy said over the speakers. The cheerleaders were getting the crowd pumped, the bands played their school's fight songs, the crowds on either side were all revved up.

The quarterback for the Fighters, a senior, had gotten injured while playing, and as a result the coach sent Shadow out, despite him being a freshmen.

As the teams received their instructions and broke out of the huddles, lining up, the crowd cheered even louder for their teams.

The cheerleaders went into their giant pyramid, with Rouge at the top, when Ms. Batson had decided would be a good luck charm for the football team. The rest of the school that wasn't on the field was in the stands, as this was the most important game of the season- given they don't make it to playoffs.

The play was made, the ball thrown, clock ticking down- the runner was tackled. The clock stopped. A minute and 27 seconds left, 2nd down with 6 yards to go. Next play. Ball gets sent back, the player runs… and is tackled. 1st down, 10 yards to go, 1 minute left.

That's when Shadow got the signal from the sidelines: Use the secret weapon. He announced the plan to the other team members, and they lined up. The clock started ticking. The code was called out. Shadow faked a pass, then started running for the end zone. He narrowly avoided being tackled a couple of times, but once he broke away, there was nothing stopping him. The crowd went into an uproar.

"TOUCHDOWN FIGHTERS!" The announcer guy yelled. The band played the fight song enthusiastically. All of the football team members, save for Peter, Butch and Spike, of course, mobbed around Shadow and jumped up and down, him receiving a beating on his helmet and pads. As the clock ran down and the buzzers blared, the two teams lined up and gave each other high fives, as good sportsmen should.

Back in the dorm, everyone awaited Shadow, Knuckles, and Storm's arrival, all talking and excited about the victory. Tails had gone all out for this- he had temporarily dyed his fur green, keeping the tips of his tails white, and was wearing all green and white, as well. He had brought flags to the game itself, which were now in storage in his room.

Amy and Rouge remained in their cheerleader uniforms, which had been completed by green makeup and LOTS of glitter, by means of glitter hairspray, green eye glitter, and just body glitter- you can guess who decided on _that_ uniform detail.

Sonic, never to give up his blueness, had merely gone shirtless and wore green shorts, while painting a large green "F" on his chest. Jet, already being green, painted a white "I" on his chest, and wore just white shorts. Silver opted for a green "G", while Espio had been forced to have an "H" painted on his chest. Kevin was more cooperative than Epsio, though reluctant, to paint a white "T" on himself. The other three letters were a group of three sophomores, who had signed them up for the deal in the first place.

Cam and Blaze had both painted black lines under their eyes, mimicking the technique football players used to keep the light out of their eyes. Cam was wearing a green hoodie with the school logo on it and comfortable white pants. Blaze basically had the same outfit, only the colors were switched. Wave had opted to wear black, much like she always does, though the black t-shirt she wore had the school logo printed on it, very large, and very green. She switched her bandana to a green one, as well.

All of them were armed with party poppers. As the door opened and they walked in, there were a series of loud "POP!"s, and showers of confetti rained down on the football players. Shadow didn't even flinch, carrying the game ball with him and still in-uniform (minus the pads and helmet, of course), while Knuckles instinctively put his fists up, ready to fight, and Storm dove for cover.

"Congratulations!" The group said simultaneously, through snickers at Knuckles and Storm. They closed the door.

Shadow made an attempt to brush all of the confetti and mini-streamers off of himself, to no avail. Cam smiled and walked up to him, helping him pick it off. Vector stepped forward.

"Good job, Shadow. That was good work out there."

Knuckles, who by now had regained his composure, cleared his throat to get attention.

"Oh, we're leaving Knuckie out." Rouge said. Then she turned to Knuckles. "Good job keeping that bench warm, Knuckie!" She playfully punched him in the arm, showering him with glitter.

"Good job becoming a pixie, Batgirl. Try keeping your dust to yourself." He brushed the glitter off of his arm.

Vector interrupted them. "Okay, it's late, everyone needs to get a shower and go to bed." He completely ignored the massive party popper mess that was now on the ground by the doorway. "Big day tomorrow."

With some murmurs of disapproval, the group did as they were told, splitting up to their respective sides of the dorm. In the girls' side of the dorm, Wave waited until Rouge and Blaze had gone to their rooms when she grabbed Cam and Amy, giving them the international sign for 'shhh!', and pulling them into her room.

"What is it, Wave?" Amy said in a harsh whisper.

"We need to make a plan for tomorrow's dance. We need to get Silver and Blaze, then Knuckles and Rouge, together." She said.

"And how, pray tell, do we do that?" Cam asked, crossing her arms.

"It's a dance. We get them to dance together." Wave said as it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I mean, what do _we_ do to make it happen?" Cam re-worded.

"What if we just make Blaze and Silver be in on the plot to get Knuckles and Rouge to dance together? Blaze can dance with Knuckles for a bit, and Silver can dance with Rouge. I'm sure they'd be more than willing to trade off. That way, Blaze and Silver will end up dancing together as well." Amy suggested.

"Brilliant, Pinky!" Wave said. "Come on, let's go."

She led them over to Blaze's room, and knocked on the door. They received a swift answer from Blaze.

"Yes?" The lavender cat asked, already in her pajamas.

Wave immediately let herself in. "We have a plan, and we need your help."

Blaze sweatdropped. "Sure, come in, guys. What kind of plan?"

Cam and Amy took this as a cue to come in as well.

"We're going to get Knuckles and Rouge together, tomorrow. But we need you and Silver to put the plan into action." Wave explained.

Blaze raised an eyebrow. "May I ask why?"

"The plan involves getting them to dance together by having two people dance with them, then trade off." Wave started.

"Face it- they're not going to buy it if Sonic and I do it." Amy continued. "You two would be the least suspicious if you were going to dance with them, then switch off. You're not officially together with anyone, and since you _are_ best friends, it would be perfectly reasonable to assume that you would want to dance together." Blaze seemed to think about this for a minute, after a brief period of silence, she looked up and nodded. "Okay. Let's tell Silver." She went and pulled out her laptop, typing in all of the necessary things to call Silver with her webcam.

When he answered, it looked like he had just gotten out of the shower, as his quills were all droopy, and his fur was generally damp-looking.

"What's up, Blaze? Are you alright?" He asked.

Blaze giggled. "Yes, I'm fine. But I need your help with something."

"Sure. Anything." Silver seemed to settle down a bit, and sat down in front of the laptop.

"We're planning on getting Knuckles and Rouge together at the dance. We're hoping that getting them to dance together will do the trick… What we're thinking is that you'll ask Rouge to dance while I ask Knuckles. Then we'll switch off on the dance floor after a minute. Sound like a plan?" Blaze explained.

Silver nodded on the screen. "Yep. Let's do it. See you tomorrow, Blaze."

"Thanks, Silver." Blaze replied. They both ended the chat at the same time.

**~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~**

-The night of the homecoming dance-

Knuckles knocked on the door to the girls' hallway impatiently. "What is _taking_ so long, Batgirl?"

There was a muffled response from the other side of the door, but still clear enough to hear: "Girls need more time than you! We actually have to put on more than a new shirt, Knucklehead!"

"It's been half an hour!" Knuckles argued. The door swung open, revealing Cam. Along with her dress, she had on silver high heels, and a silver necklace, which was made of several different shapes. They went around her neck, while in the front there was a line of about three shapes that dropped down, resting just above the top of the dress. She carried a tiny silver clutch purse as well to carry money, her phone, and some band-aids just because of the fact that some girls' shoes were going to be killing them by the end of the night. Her makeup was also silver, and she looked annoyed.

"They spend 10 minutes perfecting makeup, and Blaze and I weren't allowed to do our own. Could you _please_ be patient for another 5 minutes?" She asked. Not waiting for an answer, she closed the door again, and the clicking of her heels could be heard going back to another room.

Silence.

"Shadow, you are one lucky-" Silver was cut off when the door opened again, when all of the girls came out.

Then there wasn't just silence from the guys. There was utter silence. Not that the girls really noticed.

Blaze had on silver heels very similar to Cam's, and her makeup was also silver, but with more of a smoky eye effect to it. Amy had on gold heels with just two straps in the front that crossed in an X shape. She also had on a gold bracelet that had a rose on it, which reflected the light in a way that made the petals flawlessly transition from gold to brown. Rouge's heels were silver, but had many straps going up them, and many sparkles all over them. She also wore what looked like a diamond necklace. You couldn't see Wave's heels all that well, but they looked black, and open-toed. She wore two bracelets, one silver and black, and the other pink. Both were made of circles that were connected together in a loop.

"I don't care what you say, Blaze, that makeup looks perfect on you." Rouge said.

"It's too much!" Blaze went to wipe it off, but Wave grabbed her hand.

"Try it and I kill you." Wave said, a little too seriously.

Blaze looked dejected, giving up.

Amy just kind of poked the three of them, then pointed at the guys. It looked like their brains broke. It was only when the girls started staring back that the guys seemed to snap out of it. Sonic was the first to speak.

"Wow, Amy… You look fantastic." He went up to her and took her hand.

"Wave, you're dressed like a _girl_! A totally non-depressed _girl!_ What the heck?" Jet yelled.

Wave glared at Jet. "Shut up."

Tails cleared his throat. "We should go… the dance starts in 5 minutes."

A small chorus of agreement went throughout the room, and they walked out.

The gymnasium was given a complete makeover for the purpose of the dance. The bleachers were retracted into what just looked like walls, which were decorated with streamers in all different colors. There was a small stage set up at the front, and the DJ was located right next to said stage. Part of the gym had tables and various chairs for people, as well as a few snack tables. Most of the gym between these two areas, however, was to be used as a dance floor. Chairs lined the walls, balloons were popping up everywhere, either tied to chairs or tables or attached to the places where the streamers met up. No music was playing, however, and the teachers instructed the mob entering to go in front of the stage. When the mob was finally in, Omeleteman stepped onto stage, getting a mic.

"Hello students. Before we start the party, I want to first congratulate the football team for their success. Also, I want to be clear. There will be _**no**_ dirty dancing tonight. Teachers _will_ be watching and they _will_ kick you out if you partake in it. Now, I've been asked by Jannette for the ballroom dancing class to perform for you, followed by each member asking a non-member of the club to dance, teaching them that dance. Please, everyone not in the club, take a seat…"

The students that were in the class stood there awkwardly as the other students went and found seats.

Jannette went up and took the microphone from Omeleteman. "Alright, get into your pairs. We're going to be doing the Viennese waltz. Then when you teach the other students, we will do a basic waltz."

Wave and Jet got into dancing position with the other students, while Cam did the same with Hiko, looking none too happy about it. Jannette signaled to the DJ, who turned on the music, and they started dancing.

This particular dance was much faster than anyone had expected a waltz to be. The pairs spun around while at the same time moving around the dance floor. Hands linked, girls with their hands on the boys' shoulders, and boys with their hands on the girls' backs. The girls were all leaning their top half away… all of a sudden, they let go, leaving their hands linked. The boys spun the girls in place. Back together, they started spinning the opposite direction. Their feet were moving so fast, it was a wonder how no one had tripped or stepped on someone else's foot yet. Spinning, spinning, spinning… wait, they changed the direction they spun again! Okay… they stopped moving and now both of them are spinning over one spot… then the guys dipped the girls. Then they started spinning the other direction again, still in place. They stopped, then leaned forward, then back, and forward again, then started side-stepping, away from the direction they were looking. A small kick out, and the guys backed away from the girls. The girls left their arms out for a second before gracefully putting them down. They bowed to each other, and it was over.

The DJ played an applause soundtrack to give the students an idea.

"Alright, everyone, go get a partner. Those who don't get a partner in the class, find a partner and just watch the others. Try to learn from them." Jannette ordered.

The students dispersed, going to their friends to find dance partners. Cam automatically went up to Shadow, holding out her hand for him. Shadow sighed, standing up.

"Oh, don't worry, it will be fine." Cam encouraged.

"I don't like dancing." Shadow argued.

"That doesn't mean you can't learn." Cam said, pulling him out to the dance floor.

Wave scanned the group of guys to see who would be her victim… she saw Espio and walked up to him.

He looked up at her calmly. "Yes?"

Wave put out her hand. "Come on. You're learning to waltz."

Espio maintained eye contact, but did not take her hand. "Forgive me, but I don't dance."

"Ha." Wave tapped her heel on the floor impatiently. "That wasn't a question, ninja-boy. Move your feet." She grabbed him by the arm, pulling him forcefully into dancing position.

Espio blinked, startled, but he didn't pull away. "Indubitably..."

"Put your hand on my back," Wave instructed. "And stand up straighter!" Espio shook his head but did as he was told.

"Now, there are going to be three steps to this… you step forward with your left foot…" She stepped back with her right foot, and Espio stepped forward with his left. "Then you step out with your right foot…" They stepped out together. "Then you put your feet together." Their feet went in. "Then you do it the opposite way, with the right foot going back." They completed that flawlessly.

"Not half bad, ninja-boy." Wave smirked. She let go and let him out to the dance floor. "Let's see how you do with music."

There was a slow waltz tune on, designed to let people learn. Cam and Shadow were already out, obviously getting used to the music. Hiko was dancing with Anna, but having some trouble with getting the dance into her head.

Espio picked up on the dance really well. In fact, they were probably the best pair that was out there, now that the ballroom dancing class had dispersed.

"You know, dancing isn't so bad when I don't have to haul Jet around with me…" Wave thought out loud.

"Many things are better when you don't need to supervise your teammates." Espio said, nodding.

"You too, huh?" Wave asked, almost sympathetically.

"Hn."

"I always have to yell at them. But it never works. Maybe if I was calmer they would listen… you seem to be calm enough when you have to deal with things."

Espio shook his head. "My teammates never take me seriously. I would do well to adopt some of your volume and brutal honesty."

Wave laughed. "I'd give you some if I could."

Even Espio managed to crack the tiniest of smiles.

Jet looked around, searching desperately for any girl to dance with him. Looking into a small crowd of cheerleaders, he pulled one out and led her to the dance floor, not waiting to show her the moves.

"Hey, what the heck are you-?"

"I'm teaching you to dance, now shut up and move your feet!" Jet commanded.

"OW! You stepped on my foot!" The cheerleader cried.

"I wouldn't have stepped on your foot if you wouldn't have put your foot in my way." Jet said, going on obliviously.

The cheerleader's screams of pain could be heard very often, and they ended up arguing, before the cheerleader angrily limped off. No other girl agreed to dance with Jet after that.

Kevin stood up. No one had asked him to dance, so he decided to find a partner. Looking around the room, he spotted a pretty, light-blue cat who was in their grade sitting down, looking around shyly. He walked up to her.

"Hey, Prosephone. Want to dance?"

Prosephone snapped her head up. "U-um… Sure, Kevin."

Kevin offered her his hand, which she gladly took. They walked over to the dance floor, and started figuring out the steps by watching the others. At one point, Prosephone was bumped from the back by one of the upperclassmen pairs, making her push onto Kevin. They stopped dancing.

Prosephone was blushing like crazy. "S-sorry…"

Kevin just laughed it off. "It's fine. You don't have to be so nervous. I don't bite." He helped her stand up.

They started dancing again, to the song that seemed to never end.

"You know what?" Kevin asked.

Prosephone turned her head to look at him again. "Umm… what?"

"You're kind of cute when you-" He was cut off.

The same pair of upperclassmen bumped into Prosephone again, and this time, they locked lips. In that instance, sparks flew between them. Prosephone jumped away, her usually white muzzle now about as red as a tomato.

"…blush." Kevin finished. Both of them had completely stopped, and were staring at each other.

Prosephone blinked a couple of times. "I… I'm sorry…" She started running off, making Kevin snap out of his daze.

"Hey, wait!" Kevin called after her. He followed her through the crowd and outside the building. He found her sitting on the steps inside the school building, and wordlessly sat down by her.

"Th-that… was my first kiss." Prosephone admitted, to no one in particular.

Kevin took it as a statement towards him, since no one else was around. "…It was mine, too."

Prosephone turned to look at him, remnants of the blush still on her face. "Really…?"

Kevin smiled and nodded. "Really."

Prosephone adjusted her gaze back to the ground. "W-well… the other girls… really don't know what they're missing."

It was Kevin's turn to blush. He couldn't help it. "Um… so… it's a little late for this and all, but… wanna be my date?" He scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

Prosephone smiled up at him. "Sure, that would be nice."

"Well, then…" Kevin stood up, offering his arm to Prosephone. "Shall we make our way back to the party?" His British accent was terrible, which made Prosephone laugh while she stood up and looped her arm around his.

"Yes, let's." Her accent was much more convincing.

When they re-entered the room, the waltzing lessons had ended, and now fast music was playing, which most of the students were jumping to. Somehow jumping had turned into the equivalent of dancing. The girls who were a little more practical just kind of bounced or swayed, or a combination of the two.

Prosephone stared at the dance floor uncomfortably. She never was one for that kind of dancing.

Kevin seemed to notice this. "Come on, let's find a place to sit." He led her to one of the tables that were there. They started talking, getting to know each other.

After about 20 fast songs, the DJ finally took the mic. "Alright, I'm going to play some slow songs now before we wrap things up. Couples, or even just friends that want to dance, this is your chance to get out on the floor!"

Blaze and Silver looked at each other, nodded, and started to put their plan into action. Blaze went over to where Knuckles was sitting and being anti-social.

"Hey, Knuckles, let's dance." She said, grabbing his arm and pulling him up. She kept talking as she led him out onto the dance floor. "You haven't danced at all today. It's against the rules. You _dance_ at a dance."

Knuckles looked completely dumbfounded, but did as he was told anyway.

Silver approached Rouge and some upperclassmen as they were dancing. The boy couldn't seem to keep his eyes in the right place.

Silver tapped him on the shoulder. "Mind if I cut in?"

Rouge answered for him. "Of course not." She quickly switched over from the upperclassmen to Silver. The upperclassmen, dejected, walked away.

"What a perv." Rouge said as soon as the upperclassmen was out of earshot.

"I hate guys like that." Silver agreed. "Always glad to help a friend out."

With that, they ended their conversation. Over the course of a couple of minutes, Blaze and Silver had gotten over by one another. In midst of a turn, Blaze acted surprised.

"Oh, hey Silver! There you are!" She let go of Knuckles.

Silver smiled at Blaze. "Hey, Blaze."

Blaze turned to Rouge. "Do you mind if we swap off dance partners?"

Rouge shook her head. "Not at all." She let go of Silver and went over to Knuckles.

"Hey, Knuckie." She said, looping her hands around his neck.

"Batgirl." Knuckles replied. Without anything else to do with his hands, he put them around her waist. He looked around to see if there were any quick ways to get out of this. No such luck. They were in the middle of the dance floor, and surrounded. But, looking around, he did notice one guy whose eyes were wandering a little too much in their direction. They stopped dancing, and Knuckles let go of Rouge. "Hey, punk. Keep your eyes up." Knuckles warned.

Rouge looked over to the person he was talking to, and she stiffened. "That's the jerk who was dancing with me before and couldn't keep his hands or eyes to himself…"

The guy walked up. "You got a problem with me, freshmen?" He was about a head taller than Knuckles, and looked to be on the wrestling team.

"Keep your eyes to yourself." Knuckles warned, cracking his knuckles.

"What, she your girlfriend or something? Girls who aren't taken are fair game, dude." The guy said.

Knuckles then put his arm around Rouge, pulling her closer. "Yeah, she is, so back off."

The upperclassmen glared at Knuckles. "Fine. Prove it."

"Prove it? What more proof do you need?" Knuckles said, getting annoyed.

"You two kiss, and I'll leave her alone." He demanded. "And I'd better not see that you're lying to me later…"

"Fine." Rouge glared at the upperclassmen. She put her arms around Knuckles' neck and kissed him, without any hesitation. Both of their eyes closed. It took many seconds for them to break apart. When they disconnected, Rouge turned back to the guy, hands on her hips. "Happy now?"

"No." He said. "Fine. But if I find out you two are lying…" He didn't finish his sentence, just walked away instead.

Knuckles had a blank look on his face. Rouge waved a hand in front of him. "Mobius to Knuckie, Mobius to Knuckie. Come in, Knuckie."

Knuckles snapped out of it. "What?"

"We were dancing?" Rouge pointed out.

"Oh… right." They went back to dancing.

Ted, the upperclassmen, walked up to Amy and Sonic, who were sitting nearby, tired from all the fast dancing.

"You do it?" Amy asked.

"I almost got my face beat in, but I did it." He said.

"Good. Thanks." Amy reached into her glove and pulled out a twenty, handing it to Ted.

"Looks like everything's going according to plan." Blaze said, watching Knuckles and Rouge kiss. "I hope this gets them together."

"Well, if it doesn't, I wouldn't mind doing something like this again." Silver said, smiling. "Dancing with you is nice."

Blaze smiled back at him, playing with the quills on the back of his neck. "Yeah, it is. It's definitely better than dance lessons back home…" Her face dropped.

Silver's face flattened out. "I would hope so. Whenever you talk about it, you get upset."

"I do not…" Blaze argued half-heartedly.

"You know you can't lie to me, Blaze." Silver said.

"Yes, I know." Blaze said this as if she had heard it a million times.

"Come on, let's forget about that." Silver suggested. Just then, Blaze stepped on his toe, making him wince.

Blaze quickly removed her foot. "Sorry, Silver. I wasn't thinking."

Silver smiled again. "Hahaha, no worries."

"…Can we stop now? My feet are killing me." Blaze suggested.

"Sure." Silver took her hand, and helped part the sea of people as they waded through. They sat down at the table. Silver went and got them some punch, then sat back down by Blaze.

"I hate heels." Blaze grumbled, pulling them off. As soon as she was done with that, she pulled her skirt down a bit. "And I hate skirts."

"That's too bad, you look great." Silver commented. "Not that pants don't suit you. Everything does."

"Silver!" Blaze playfully punched him in the arm.

"What? It's true!" Silver stuck her tongue out at her.

Cam and Shadow sat down by them, and Cam seemed to have the same action as Blaze after sitting. Just then, a teacher they didn't know walked by, getting Blaze and Silver's attention.

"Oh, you two are such a cute couple!" The teacher said.

As soon as Blaze and Silver's focuses were away, Cam poured a tiny bit of powder into each of Blaze and Silver's drinks.

Blaze and Silver looked at each other. "We're not a couple." They said at the same time, blushes appearing on their faces.

The teacher just giggled. "Oh, that's even cuter…" She walked off, smiling to herself.

"Hey, Shadow, let's go get a snack." Cam said. Shadow merely nodded, and they left once more.

Blaze and Silver picked up their drinks, not noticing anything.

"She was crazy. I hope we don't end up in one of her classes." Blaze said. She took a sip of her drink and looked at Silver.

Silver nodded in agreement. "With our luck, we will." He took a drink as well.

They froze for a second, looking at each other.

"Yeah… our luck…" Blaze said, almost in a dream-like state.

Silver noticed an imaginary dot on Blaze's cheek. "Hey, you've got something…" He put up his hand to wipe the imaginary substance off, but his hand stayed there. He stared at Blaze for a second before removing his hand. "Do you want to dance…?"

"Sure." Blaze answered. She stood up with Silver, leaving her shoes behind.

They started dancing to the slow music. But it was more like hugging than dancing. Hug Dancing.

From the snack area, Shadow speculated on the scene. "What kind of stuff did you put in their drinks?"

"Oh, nothing major. It wasn't like a love potion or anything. I made it so that they wouldn't worry about their friendship being ruined by their relationship. I don't know how to describe it. But I can make potions for _very_ specific functions. It really opened their eyes, don't you think?" Cam said, swirling her own punch in her cup.

Just then, Silver and Blaze leaned in and kissed each other.

"Aww!" Cam smiled at the two of them.

Shadow looked at her. "Why did you say that?"

"It's cute." Cam said in a huff.

"I don't see that." Shadow said uncaringly.

"Wh-" Cam started to ask.

Shadow cut her off, smirking. "You're much cuter."

Cam rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. "That was cheesy. You know that?"

"Yes."

**~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~**

After the dance was wrapped up and the students kicked out, the teachers guided them back to their dorms. Because of the mass of the mobs, different groups of friends got back to the dorms at different times.

Jet, Storm, and Tails were the first ones to get back. Vector was waiting for them.

"Why do I have the strange feeling that we're going to be the only ones who are single?" Tails asked.

Sonic and Amy were the next to walk in. No surprises there. Cam and Shadow were after that. Still no surprises. Next were Silver and Blaze, their hands intertwined. The effects of the potion had already worn off, but had done the trick. Amy looked excited, like she was trying to hold in a squeal. Next was Knuckles and Rouge. Knuckles had his hand around Rouge's waist. This had Amy really antsy. All that were left were Wave and Espio…

There was a knock at the door. Vector went and answered it. It was a teacher, holding Wave and Espio by the arms. One arm for one hand. "These kids are in your dorm, right?"

"Yeah." Vector nodded.

"They were kissing behind the bleachers. Keep an eye on them." The teacher warned, letting them go.

Vector could hardly keep himself contained as he nodded and closed the door. That's when he exploded. "Espio, you got a _girlfriend?_" He started laughing. Laughing so hard, in fact, that he doubled over. He even started crying.

Now it was Jet's turn. "Wave, you got a** BOYFRIEND?**" Jet started laughing as well, joining Vector doubled over on the floor from laughter.

The swallow and the chameleon both gazed level-headedly at their teammates. When the laughing didn't stop, they exchanged glances.

"Jet…"

"Vector…"

"Do I need to get the wrench out…?"

"Do I need to let my girlfriend after you with a wrench…?"

This shut their traps.

Wave grinned at Espio, who smirked back at her. "I think this will work out nicely." She said.

Another knock on the door was heard. Vector got up, winded, and answered it. It was Kevin. He and Prosephone were holding hands. "I left my bag in here earlier."

Vector nodded. "It's on the table."

Kevin acknowledged this, and walked in with Prosephone, grabbing his bag off the table.

Cam freaked out. "Oh my gosh! Kevin got a girlfriend!" She went up to both of them, arms outstretched. "Both of you, hug, now."

Prosephone shyly joined the hug, while Kevin had become used to it.

After the hug, they left, before Cam could think of anything else to say or do.

"Alright. All of you, bed." Vector instructed.

**~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~**

**Phew! It's done! I'm glad I got this out when I did. The school year is in full swing, and I have a **_**really**_** busy after-school schedule this year. I just want to say thank you to those of you who have reviewed, favorited, or added my stories (or me) to your alerts! It really means a lot.**

**REVIEWS ARE LOVED AND WILL GET YOU OXYGEN COOKIES! :D**

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**For reviewing!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hello everyone, and Merry Christmas! **

**I must once again apologize for not updating in a very long time. I'd give you a list of excuses, but you just want to read. I have fought through my writer's block to get this chapter out for you! (And trust me, the fight was **_**not**_** easy.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 30

"You're traveling! Do it again!" Coach White ordered.

Cam stood up from her spin and stopped, trying to catch her breath before starting to skate again.

It was the very first day of winter break- that is, the afternoon of the last day of school before the break. Coach White had made a tradition of having a boot camp of a practice. It lasted a few hours longer than usual, and Cam would have to come back and practically do the same thing in the morning.

"Your next competition is coming up in a few days! You've gotten out of shape! You're not planning to _lose_, are you?"

Cam completed her spin properly, and leaned down, hands on her knees. A few drops of sweat fell onto the ice below her, and her breath could be seen from the refrigerated air in the rink.

"Well are you?" Coach White yelled again.

"No!" Cam snapped her head up to look at her coach.

"Good. You're going to try a quadruple toe loop."

"Are you kidding?"

"When do I ever kid you?"

"Wow. She wasn't kidding." Blaze stared out at the scene unfolding on the rink.

"That woman could trump a marine drill sergeant in scariness any day." Rouge thought to herself.

"Hey, come on, guys. I have a problem!" Amy whined as the conversation was taken off-topic. "I still haven't gotten anything for Sonic yet!"

"That's why we split up, isn't it?" Wave lounged on the bleachers carelessly, putting her head up from observing the number of lights that were hanging from the ceiling. "They're probably shopping for our presents right now."

_**Fall.**_ Cam failed at her first attempt, and got chewed out on how she was supposed to do it.

"Yes, but I need to figure out what I'm getting for everyone…" Amy crossed her arms, putting on a face indicating that she was concentrating _way_ too hard.

"The guy's a pig. Just get him junk food. He'll be happy. I get a ton of candy for Jet and Storm every year, and they've never been as happy with anything else." Wave suggested.

"That's brilliant for Jet and Storm. Maybe we can work something out to just each pitch in and give them candy from all of us?" Rouge asked, having wondered about what the heck to get for those two.

_**Fall.**_

"Be my guest." Wave looked back up to count the lights again.

"Now there's the issue of getting things for the boyfriends. What kinds of things do guys like getting from their girlfriends…?" Amy said, again bringing the conversation back to the first subject.

"I doubt any of the stereotypical stuff would work, since we're not just friends anymore. It has to be something thought out and meaningful… Not anything like food, or video games, or socks." Blaze thought aloud.

**~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~**

"Nothing mushy or _personal_. Ew. Just get them the kinds of things girls like. You know, makeup and jewelry and crap. I swear, I gag every time Wave makes me watch a Christmas chick flick when the guy is all _'The moment I saw this I thought of you.'_ Trust me. The less thoughtful and romantic, the better." Jet instructed, forcing his 'wisdom of relationships' upon the other unfortunate males he was accompanying to the mall.

"Jet, I don't think-" Kevin was cut off.

"Good! It's better that way. You're on the right track, my friend." Jet looked pleased, as if he had taught Kevin a valuable life lesson.

Kevin shook his head, and walked away to window shop.

"He doesn't know what he's doing, poor guy. His girlfriend is gonna break up with him now." Jet turned around to face the group, now lacking a Shadow and an Espio. "If you need any more romantic advice, I'll be at the box store and the grocery store. Come on, Storm."

"Okay, Boss." Storm followed obediently, leaving the other guys to sit and wonder.

"I got why he would need boxes… but groceries?" Tails turned to Sonic, wondering if he had some sort of an explanation to what was just said.

Sonic shook his head, bewildered. "I don't know, buddy. I just don't know."

Silver had decided to disregard Jet's advice, mainly because he already knew what he was going to get Blaze. He went to the sporting goods store, where they sold different gear for the various sports teams around the area, including the high schools.

The boys' basketball team had different uniforms than the girls', and none of the boys' uniform was sold in girls' sizes, for obvious reasons. Blaze, as a result of this, had to wear a baggy, ill-fitting uniform, and it interfered with how she played.

He walked up to the man behind the counter. "Hi. I have an order to pick up."

"I remember you. Silver, right? Just a second." The man disappeared into a back room for a second, then came back out with a large bag, handing it to Silver.

Silver looked through the bag. "Hey, there's-"

"Extra. I know. I told my wife… I mean, our customizer, about your story- I think she's kind of out of it with Christmas spirit and drinking too much eggnog- but she insisted that she would make your girlfriend the jacket and sweatpants that go over the uniform, too, free of charge."

"That's really nice of her. Tell her thank you for me." Silver said.

"Will do. Hope your girlfriend enjoys them." The man waved as Silver exited the store.

Espio walked into the Hot Topic store at the mall **(You guessed it; I don't own Hot Topic, in case the owner is somehow reading this story, which would be epic, but unlikely. Don't sue me!)** looking for some kind of inspiration for Wave's present. This seemed to be a good place to look for something that suited Wave's taste, but nothing really caught his eyes yet. Walking over to the accessories, his eyes scanned the shelves until one particular item caught his eye. He picked it up, inspected it for damage, then, satisfied, he brought it over to the cashier.

Sonic had no idea where to start. He knew jewelry was the normal way to go, but with all the money he used for food, he didn't have the rings for anything fancy. A card was a good place to start. Walking into the store filled with cards, he looked through about 50 of them trying to find one that was suitable, and not overly cheesy. Satisfied with the card, he began looking around the store at various objects. Snow globes and plushes that sang and danced littered the isles. Getting to the isle where they had packages for things, he came upon one of the bags used to hold giant things. Looking around, he saw what he would get Amy other than the card. He grabbed the giant bag.

Knuckles knew what Rouge would want. Anything shiny would please her, and he already had his own collection of gems, being a treasure hunter. He didn't care if he gave them to Rouge. The only gem that really mattered was the Master Emerald, and maybe the chaos emeralds. All it took was a trip to a package store to get a case for whatever gem he felt like giving Rouge.

Shadow searched around the mall for some kind of music store. He knew that Cam was going to get many figure skating-related items, since she practically lived and breathed the sport. But he had seen her in her off-time, where she would just want to listen to music or go to the choir room to play the piano. Unfortunately, with Ms. Batson coaching the cheerleaders, the choir room was almost always locked. Shadow had searched the internet for ideas while the class was in a computer lab, with the purpose of doing work. The work never did get done, but Shadow found what he was looking for.

Kevin walked around the mall until he found a store that he thought would be suitable for finding anything to do with cheerleading. He knew that Prosephone was having some doubts about her belonging on the team, and that she needed some form of motivation to keep on going. Kevin was especially looking forward to the upcoming basketball games where the cheerleaders would be present. He walked into a jewelry store and ended up finding a charm bracelet he thought Prosephone would like, and then starting to pick out the charms.

**~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~**

Cam walked out of the changing room sweaty, sore and exhausted. Yet, the other girls were still waiting for her with every intention to take her shopping with them. Regretfully, she let herself be dragged along with them to the mall.

Wave went directly into Hot Topic, her favorite store. Very familiar with it, she was able to pick out something for Espio in ten minutes flat.

Cam's quest for gifts took her to the electronics store. It was a very large store, and she didn't want to try to find what she was looking for on her own, especially in her exhausted state. She went over to an employee who wasn't manning the counter and asked her to help her find the things on her list.

Amy knew what she wanted to get for Sonic in general, but not what she wanted to get him specifically. Of course, she wanted to get him something to run with. But what? Shoes? No. Sonic had a sponsorship with the SOAP company. They supplied all of the shoes that he needed, and more. So what could she get him? It's not like you could carry all that much with you while you ran. Looking into the window of the running store, she got an idea. There were shoes displayed that would wirelessly hook up to your mp3 player. Sure, she couldn't get him the shoes, but she knew what she could get for him.

Blaze didn't go to any store. She simply went to the food court, got herself a smoothie from her favorite food vendor, and sat down in a comfortable booth. She pulled out her cell phone, and prepared herself for a long talk with many different people.

Rouge walked herself to the bookstore, where she knew that there was going to be some heavy lifting to be done. She asked a male clerk, not anywhere near buff, but a sap all the same, to come carry the books for her. He happily obliged and followed her to the "Self-help and How-to" section of the books. Finding the title that she needed, Rouge started taking numerous books off of the shelf and handing them to the poor boy. He didn't know what he was getting himself into.

**~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~**

**-CHRISTMAS MORNING!-**

At 3 o'clock in the morning, Sonic woke up, realizing that it was Christmas. He threw his covers off and jumped up, screaming "CHRISTMAS!" and instantly waking Tails.

Tails sat up quickly, his fur and tails in a rumple. "Wha… Sonic… it's too early…"

"It's never too early for Christmas!" Sonic yelled back at Tails as he ran out the door. He first sped down the boys' hallway, pounding on the doors and screaming "Wake up! It's Christmas!", then did likewise down the girls' hallway. Little did he know that Wave was waiting for him on his way back with her wrench. He was quickly knocked out, but everyone emerged from their rooms anyway, since they were already awake. Amy walked to the kitchen and grabbed some of the spare cookies, bringing them over to where Sonic was sprawled out on the floor and wafting them in front of his nose. His eyes snapped open, staring at the cookie.

"Merry Christmas, Sonic." Amy smiled at him, giving him a hand up.

Sonic sprang up, gave Amy a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before taking the cookie and running into the living room.

"Present time!" He yelled, running over to the tree. He grabbed all of the presents and distributed them to their respective owners.

"Bet I can open all of mine faster than you can open yours, Sonic!" Jet challenged.

"You wanna bet?" Sonic smirked back, sitting himself in front of his pile.

"GO!" Jet yelled.

While the two of them tore open their presents the others went to work opening theirs one at a time, checking the names on them.

Everyone but Jet and Storm for some reason had a series of boxes within another of their boxes. All of them were wrapped in the same paper. By the time they got to the innermost box, most were extremely irritated and ready to find out what they were working for. Wave was the first to get into hers.

"Really, Jet? A potato?" Wave took the said potato and threw it at Jet.

"OW! Jeez, Wave, don't bruise your potato! You're supposed to feed it and water it and take care of it and love it forever!" Jet picked up the potato and petted it.

The other gifts included mayonnaise, a juice box, celery, a can of soup, pickles, fruit snacks, a grow-in-water foam dinosaur capsule pack, salt, an apple, beef jerky, asparagus, and string cheese. All of which were thrown at Jet like the potato before them.

"Ungrateful little things, aren't you?" Jet glared at them, gathering up the food.

"Here, Blaze, open this one first!" Silver grabbed his bag out of Blaze's small pile of gifts, putting it in her lap. Blaze couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright, Silver, but you have to open mine first, too." Blaze picked her present out of Silver's pile and put it on his lap.

Silver held onto it, waiting for Blaze to finish pulling the tissue paper out of the bag.

"Oh my God, Silver!" Blaze gave Silver a quick hug before looking back at the contents of the bag, pulling out the clothing and examining it piece by piece. "You didn't have to do this…"

"Sure I did." Silver grinned. "You were obviously uncomfortable in the boys' uniform. So, I had a uniform made and customized for you that would fit you better."

"It's right before basketball season, too… it's perfect, Silver." Blaze's comment made Silver's face light up. "Now open yours…"

Silver took the box in his lap and quickly ripped off the paper, throwing it on the ground behind the couch to be picked up later. Opening the box, he curiously looked at the item inside.

"A pocket watch?" He looked over at Blaze.

"Look closer at it…" She urged.

Silver took the watch out of its container, holding it up. On the front of it was what appeared to be a seal, which upon closer inspection turned out to be the royal seal of the Blaze's family – The royal family of the Cat Kingdom. There was a diamond set into the front of the watch as well. The silver of the watch and its chain reflected the room perfectly, and shone brightly. When he opened it, he noticed words engraved in the inner part of the cover, reading: _"By the decree of Princess Blaze the Valiant of the Cat Kingdom, Sir Silver the Hedgehog shall now and forevermore be known as a Knight of the royal family."_ Silver stared at the words in the watch, speechless for many seconds. Finally, he looked up at Blaze.

"You… made me a Knight?"

Blaze nodded, smiling. "That watch is there to prove it. It took some persuading my parents and a background check, but they eventually approved. Now you can enter and leave the kingdom and the royal grounds as you please. When you come to the palace the first time, then you'll be officially sworn in as a knight. But you can still carry the title."

"…Okay, you beat my present." Silver said. He leaned forward and kissed her for a few seconds before pulling back. "Thank you, Blaze. This is amazing."

"Whatever. I'm not calling him "Sir Silver." Wave said from across the room, sitting on the floor with her back to where the TV was. She had just gotten to the present from Espio.

Pulling the red tissue paper from the black bag, she already knew she was going to like the present. From the bag, she pulled a new pair of gloves. The gloves were practically arm warmers. There were two layers to these gloves – the lower layer was made of normal acrylic glove fabric, going almost up to her elbows. The design on this layer was red and black stripes. The top layer was more like a second glove, going only to the wrist like most gloves. Made of black leather, they were fingerless also, just barely letting the edge of the bottom layer peek out under where the fingers cut off. While the leather covered the palms of her hands, it was cut around the back of her hands in an opening that was held together by a leather strap at the wrist. Wave pulled off her old gloves which were getting worn out by all of her work on extreme gear and tried on the new gloves right away.

"Hey, Wave, looks like your boyfriend was able to find something that makes you look more emo than you already did." Jet snickered. "Now people can actually assume that you're cutting and hiding the scratch-OW!"

Wave quickly cut off Jet with her wrench. "Jet, I make you beat people up that call me emo! You don't have permission to do so!"

"Right… right…" Jet mumbled, cradling his very sore head.

Wave put the wrench away and turned to Espio. "Thank you. I needed new gloves."

Espio smiled just slightly. "You are welcome."

At this, Espio turned to opening his own present, which was from Wave. He pulled out a black t-shirt with 2 white Japanese characters on it. Under these characters was the English translation in small print: "Ninja Warrior." Espio's smile turned into a smirk.

"How fitting."

"I thought you'd like it."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Amy saved the giant bag from Sonic for last, carefully undoing the bow. As it was undone and the bag fell down, the others were interrupted from their gift opening by a giant squeal.

"Sonic, I love it!" Amy ran and gave Sonic a big bear hug, temporarily leaving the giant teddy bear plushie where it had been unwrapped.

"I'm glad you do, Amy." Sonic grinned at her the best that he could under her crushing grip. "And thank you for the iPod."

"You're welcome." Amy smiled back at him.

Shadow just stared at the presents he received. A bright yellow t-shirt was the first thing he came upon - one with a giant smiley face on it - with an unsigned card reading "Cheer up, Emo kid!" The next, smaller package he unwrapped was a set of about 10 different black eyeliner pencils. Another present, a black studded belt, he actually liked. Someone else got him fingerless black gloves, and the rest of his presents were gift cards for online music stores. The only present he had left was the one from Cam – as he opened it, he just barely smiled. Inside were a couple of scary movies he had never managed to see, which he may have mentioned twice, if that, in his conversations with Cam.

At the same time, Cam opened her present from Shadow. From everyone else, she had gotten things to do with figure skating. But, as she opened the present, she grinned. Inside was a small, flat electronic keyboard that you could roll up and take with you anywhere. She hugged Shadow, who was sitting next to her on one of the couches.

"Thank you, Shadow!"

"You're welcome." Shadow hugged her back, despite the possibility of there being cameras nearby. "Would you like to watch those movies with me later?"

"Of course." Cam agreed.

Just before they were about to pull out of the hug, a flash could be seen.

"I really need to make a scrapbook of blackmail for you, Shadow…" Rouge pondered, snickering as she put her camera away.

Shadow glared over at Rouge. "Then maybe I should do the same."

Rouge looked over at Shadow, raising her eyebrow at him. "Oh, really? And you don't think it's stupid to put all of your blackmail in one place, where I can steal it?"

"…Hmph." Shadow turned away from the conversation.

Knuckles finally unwrapped the giant present Rouge had got him. Turned out the present itself wasn't giant, but it was made up of many smaller things. Books, to be specific. Rouge had gotten Knuckles "The Complete Idiot's Guide" to every subject they were taking in school. **(Don't own those, neither. :B )**

"Batgirl…"

"Yes, Knuckie?"

"What is this?"

"Books to help you with school."

"And the name?"

"I didn't pick the name."

"You couldn't have picked books with a different name?"

"None of them would have been simple enough for you. I wasn't even sure about these."

"What?"

"Watch your temper. You know it's true."

Knuckles crossed his arms, now fuming, but mostly unwilling to admit that Rouge was right. Rouge watched him, amused, before kissing him on the cheek. Knuckles turned and looked at her.

"What was that for, Batgirl?"

"Thank you for the amethyst, Knucklehead."

**~~~Meanwhile, in another dorm~~~**

Prosephone bear-hugged Kevin, holding the charm bracelet in her hands at the same time.

"Thank you so much, Kevin! I love it."

"Merry Christmas, Prosephone."

"Wait a second…" Prosephone picked out the present she had gotten for Kevin out of his pile and handed it to him. "Here, open this one."

Kevin smiled at the cat, taking the present. "Of course."

When he opened the present, he couldn't believe what he saw. There, framed, was a perfect pencil sketch of him. It looked nothing like any of the pictures he had seen taken of him before, so this must have been from memory. Looking down at the corner of the picture, Kevin saw Prosephone's signature delicately written. 

"Rose, I didn't know you could draw."

Prosephone giggled. "Surprise!"

"This is amazing… how long were you staring at me while I wasn't looking?" He grinned at her while he got a punch in the arm. Prosephone was blushing now.

" Sh-shut up…"

Kevin laughed, giving her a hug.

**~~~Later, in Hannah and Peter's dorm~~~**

Hannah sighed, glancing uncaringly at her mountain of now-opened presents.

"Peter, I can't seem to just let myself be happy."

Peter looked up from his own pile of gifts, messing around with his new expensive watch to try to make it the right time. "And why is that?"

"The figure skating competition."

"Cameron?"

"Yes."

"You shouldn't worry. You can blow her out of the water any day."

"Really? Because she just started on her quadruples! I'm still falling half the time I try a triple, Peter! I swear, ever since that little group took her under their wing, she's had an invisible wall around her. Nothing can get through! She was even paralyzed, and now look at her! Like nothing even happened!"

"Hannah, that was because of the magi-"

"She wouldn't have been able to do it on her own! Even if she knew the spell, she wouldn't have had the energy to heal herself all the way! She would have passed out before she could make herself walk again! It's because that other echidna was there, helping her. That Kevin kid. And our mind games aren't working on her, either… her friends are protecting her, and nothing we do can get them to stop! We've done everything!"

"Not quite."

"What?"

"Oh, so you don't remember?"

"Tell me what's going on in your head now, Peter, or I'll hurt you."

"She has one secret that she hasn't shown anyone yet."

"Go on…"

"And, of course, it's an ugly one. So here's the plan…"

As Hannah and Peter plotted, Hiko, Alexander, and the lackeys listened in from the background. Everyone else in the room was smiling at the brilliant plan which was being formulated, except for Hiko. He couldn't help but frown.

**~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~**

**DONE! At 30 minutes into Christmas morning, it's finally done! (I started this around Halloween, soo…. Yeah.) As part a teaser to you, and part a note to myself while my creative juices are finally flowing around my head again, the next chapter will start out at 3 days before the next figure skating competition, where Cam and Hannah (and the other skaters, of course, but who cares about them? :P ) will compete to move on to the next level… **

**So, now it's time for me to go to sleep and wake up again soon!**

**REVIEWS ARE LOVED AND WILL GET YOU OXYGEN COOKIES! :D**

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**For reviewing!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Thank you **_**so much**_** to EchidnaGirl for helping me with this chapter! Much of her input was mixed in here to help bring you such an awesome chapter! I couldn't have done it without her! And, just so you know, she has jumped onto the bandwagon and is now writing her own Sonic high school story! (I swear it's nothing like mine, so don't worry. But, I will say, it is just as awesome [probably more awesome] as this story. Check it out!)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the official characters! All OC's either belong to me or Echidnagirl!**

Chapter 31

**~3 days before the figure skating competition, after school~**

"No." Hiko crossed his arms and gazed down at Hannah, who was at least a head shorter than him.

"But Hiko, it's the only way the plan is going to work!" Hannah whined.

"It's practically cheating."

"No, it isn't! She heals really fast, so even if you hurt her, it won't matter! Besides, it's not like you're competing against her!"

"And how do you think she's going to agree to it, anyway?"

"You don't give her a chance to agree or refuse! You just do it!"

"That hardly seems fair."

"It doesn't have to be fair! I want it done! Or do I need to tell my parents that you did horrible things to me?"

"I've done nothing to you!"

"They don't know that. And they'll take my word over yours. The girl is always right, especially if she's crying and the consoler's daughter."

"You wouldn't."

"You don't believe that."

"…Fine." Hiko sighed, grabbing his duffel bag. "Let's get this over with."

Hannah grinned. They began walking to the skating rink.

**~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~**

Cam looked up at the clock in the rink while she got a drink of water at the wall of the rink.

'_Good. Only 15 minutes more…'_

"Cameron! Your 10 seconds are up! Get back out here!"

Cam almost let out a groan, but managed to keep it inside of her as she put down the water and skated back out to the middle of the rink, greeted only by the glare of her coach.

Shadow wasn't there today- he had been given an after-school detention for talking back to a teacher one too many times.

"No slacking off. You know what's at stake. Now, I want you to ru-" Mrs. White was cut off by her cell phone ringing. Digging into her pocket, she pulled it out and put it to her ear. "What is it? Don't you know I'm busy?"

The coach paused for a second. "I understand. Just a moment." She covered the phone and turned to Cam. "Change of plans. Practice whatever you feel needs work until your time is, but if I see you slack off, you're getting it."

"Yes, Coach." Cam agreed.

Mrs. White placed the phone back to her ear and walked up to her office.

Cam sighed, and started skating, building up her speed.

Over in the ridiculously warm lobby of the rink, Hannah pushed Hiko forward towards the door. "Go now."

Hiko glanced back at Hannah once, then went forward into the rink area, being hit with a burst of the ever-so-familiar cold air as he opened the door.

When he stepped out onto the rink, Cam was just finishing a jump, but he couldn't decipher what kind it was from just the end of it. Unfortunately, one of her skates touched down as she landed, which she didn't seem too happy about. Hiko skated up next to her, easily matching her speed.

"Working on your own today?" He asked with a smile.

"What are you doing?" Cam stopped instantly, making Hiko swing around to skate back to her.

"It looks like you could use some help."

"Well, I don't."

"That jump begs to differ."

"Oh, yeah? I want to see you do better."

"Which jump was it?"

"Triple loop."

Hiko smiled. "Then watch and learn." He skated off, building the speed necessary to complete the jump.

Cam watched on, none too pleased at the Husky's presence. Hannah was up to something. Not to mention that male figure skaters typically completed jumps much more easily than females. He would definitely do better.

And he did. Just to rub it in, the jump wasn't a triple, but a quadruple. He skated back over to where Cam watched.

"Show-off." She stuck her tongue out at him. Childish, sure. But, it was an alternative to using "grown-up" words.

"Now, let me help you." Hiko held out a hand to her.

Cam was suspicious, sure. But the jump was a silent bet, and she had lost. She reached out and took his hand, and they started skating.

"First, you need to build up speed."

"Really, now? Do you think I didn't take pre-school skating class?"

"Watch your temper… more speed than you had before."

"Fine." They sped up, not in perfect synch, but they didn't need to be.

"Now, put more force into your kick than before."

"Do you want me to do a quadruple or something?"

"Trust me. On the count of three."

Cam nodded.

"One…" Cam couldn't tell, but Hiko had moved closer to her during one of the turns, and had let go of her hand. She assumed it was so she could skate properly.

"Two…" He had also changed his stride so that their legs were in-synch. No collisions.

"Three!" As Cam kicked out to start the jump, Hiko put his hands around her waist and hoisted her up as she jumped, sending her across the rink. Cam wasn't prepared for or familiar with the extra force and air, and had no chance of landing properly. When she fell onto the ice, she hit her head before sliding into the wall. She stayed in that position as Hiko skated over to her, fast.

"Are you alright, Cameron?"

"What the crap was that?" She pushed herself up so that she was only sitting on the ice, not lying down.

"I was-"

"You lied to me! I told you, I don't want to pair skate with you! What did you think, that I was going to figure out what was going on; magically know what to do? You could have at least told me before you threw me across half of the rink!"

"I'm sorry."

"You should be!" Cam put her hand to the back of her head, wincing. There was no blood, but a nasty bump was already forming. She moved to stand up, using the wall as support, but as soon as she put weight on her ankle, she grimaced and moved to try the other leg.

Coach White stormed down to the rink. Hiko was going to get it.

"What's going on here? This is not your rink, nor your practice time, Mr. Husky! You are in rink B in half an hour! It is three days from competition, and you expect for it to be alright to come waltzing in here and injuring my skater?"

"I just wanted to help. I didn't think-"

"_Clearly_ you didn't think! Now, I want you to help her off of the ice, and then once she's treated, you can come see me in my office."

"Coach-" Cam began to protest.

"I don't want to hear anything for _you_, either, Cameron!"

"…Yes Coach…"

Mrs. White stormed off the ice once again, back to her office. Hiko kneeled down by Cam, who was still glaring at him.

"What is hurt?"

"Oh, my head, my ankles, my knees, I'm pretty sure I have ice burn -if that's even possible- not to mention my ego is bruised. Though I would imagine yours is in much worse shape."

"It is…" Hiko picked Cam up and started skating off of the ice, putting her down on a bench in the lobby near the changing rooms. He went and sat on the bench next to her, sighing.

That was when Hannah just so happened to walk by.

"Oh, Cameron, I saw that nasty spill. I'm surprised at you. You're normally quite good at jumps. That one was pretty simple, too. Looks like I'm not going to have any problems at the competition, huh?"

Cam winced as she pulled off the skate that was over her injured ankle, before glaring up at Hannah. "Yeah, right. You couldn't complete that jump if your life depended on it."

"Oh, but I did. I tried it the other day with Hiko. Right, Hiko?" Hannah smiled at Hiko with such a sugary smile that it could only be interpreted as "Agree with me or I'll kill you."

Hiko nodded. "It's true. She did wonderfully."

Cam could feel her temper building inside of her, getting bigger by the second. She was about ready to explode when Mrs. White came with a first aid kit. If there was anything you don't do, it was lose your temper in front of her. She shoved the mass of anger away.

"Miss Hedgehog, I would advise that you move along." The coach motioned for Hannah to leave.

"Of course, Mrs. White." Hannah smiled. "See you later, Cammy." She pranced off like she had just won the lottery.

As Mrs. White treated Cam's injuries, she spoke to Hiko. "Mister Husky, I spoke to your coach. He agreed that you will help Cameron back to her dorm, and there will be consequences from him. Something about 3 boot camps."

Hiko looked miserable, and his groan just let everyone know it was true.

"Be thankful that this is not a school activity, Mister Husky."

"Believe me, I am…" Hiko said. He took off his skates as well.

When Mrs. White finished, she stood up.

"I'm going to go get Cameron's things. Mr. Husky, you're coming back here later, so I recommend putting your bag in a locker and leaving it here until you return." With that, she left for the locker room.

Hiko gathered his bag and also walked to the locker room, leaving Cam alone for a few minutes before they both came back, Mrs. White with Cam's things and Hiko without his. As soon as Cam had put her skates away and put her regular shoes on (which was fairly painful), Mrs. White instructed Hiko to help Cam up and support the side where her ankle was hurt properly. He helped her onto the bus that was waiting close outside the rink, where they sat side-by-side until the bus came to the nearest stop to the high school.

Cam was still fuming at Hiko, and her mass of anger was starting to creep out again from where she hid it.

"Why did you do it?" Cam asked, breaking the silence.

"What?" Hiko turned to her.

"I said, why did you do it? Why did you consent to whatever the crap Hannah is planning?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Cut the crap. She always gets this way around competitions. Even in recitals when we were six, she would put a spider in my bag or something."

"That's unfortunate, but I know nothing."

"Fine. I'll find out for myself."

The bus stopped at the high school, and Hiko once again helped Cam up until they entered the school, where the nurse came to help instead. Hiko went back to catch the bus before it left, and Cam was helped up to the dorm.

Shadow was in front of the room when the nurse helped Cam into the dorm's hallway. He instantly noticed and walked over to them, taking over for the nurse. Glad to have her hands free, the nurse went back to her office.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Just an accident when I was skating. I'll be fine."

Just when Cam and Shadow entered the door to the dorm, a news story came onto the television.

"**This just in."** The reporter announced. **"Today at noon the infamous gang leader Damien the Bat was released from jail on good behavior. After his arrest over a decade ago, the Bat was sentenced to death, but with the work of his lawyer, the sentence was reduced to a life sentence." **The image switched to a view of Alexander's father walking out of the front doors of the prison, hugging Alexander who had skipped school, and walking out to a car.

"**Though there is no official word, it is said that driving the car Damien was picked up in was one of his former gang members. This leaves many questions to consider about the future: Will the gang accept Damien back as a member? Will he rise to his leader position once again? And has his time in prison really changed his ways? Only time will tell… Back to you, Steve."**

The news went on to a different story, but was given no attention. All of the rage that Cam had shoved away at the rink had come out and tripled itself.

Shadow looked over to her, noticing the change. "Are you alright?"

Cam glared up at Shadow, pulling herself away from him. "I don't need your help. Get away from me." Her voice was deeper than usual, and her eyes shone with some unrecognizable light. She began walking away, with no sign of pain coming from her ankle that she couldn't put pressure on just a moment before. Amy, however, had just heard the news and came into the room.

She reached out to hug Cam. "Cam, I just heard-"

Cam pushed one of Amy's arms away, then grabbed the other's wrist with an iron grip. "Don't touch me." She let go of Amy's wrist and walked around her, heading towards her room.

Amy tenderly rubbed her wrist, where a bruise was starting to form.

"Hey!" Sonic yelled. "I know your upset, but that's not cool!"

Cam stopped and turned towards Sonic. "How would you know? You don't know what 'cool' means, do you? I doubt you can even spell it, idiot."

"I do so!" Sonic protested. "K-E-W-L! Ha!"

"My point exactly." Cam wanted to get back to her room, and was already annoyed by the interruptions of the walk.

"Why are you acting like this?" Blaze asked, approaching from where she had been doing homework.

"Why won't you tell everyone that you're a Princess, Your Highness?" Cam curtsied sarcastically.

"Wait, what?" Silver looked to Blaze.

"…How did you know?" Blaze made no attempt to deny the fact.

"I have my ways. Now, if you'll excuse me, have fun explaining your big fat lie."

"Something is definitely wrong here…" Tails said, practically to himself.

"Oh, really, Einstein? Just figure that out now? You're pretty slow for an absolute nerd. Of course, it would take you that long, now that I think about it. You have no social life from staying all cooped up in your little corner overdoing your homework, just so you can get an A." Tails was offended – so shocked that he couldn't think of any Shakespeare quotes as a comeback.

"That's just low, picking on someone as young as Tails." Knuckles growled.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize he wasn't potty trained yet. Of course, you share that in common, now don't you?" Cam turned away, into the girls' hallway, now unamused by the conversation.

"Grr…" Knuckles stormed up after her, getting ready to throw a punch. Just as he was to the doorway, the door slammed in his face. He fell back and landed on his hindquarters, glaring up at the door.

"I'm going to kill her!" He started to get up and went to take out the door, but Vector appeared (finally) and put a hand on his shoulder.

"That's enough. All of you go back to your rooms for now. You can come back out in 15 minutes." He ordered. All of them did as they were told, though Knuckles needed some extra persuading to not kill Cam.

**~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~**

As soon as Blaze got back into her room, she could hear the small alarm for a call on her laptop. She pulled it onto her lap as she sat down on her bed, pressing the answer key. She saw Silver on the other screen.

"You're a princess?" Silver asked immediately.

Blaze sighed. "Yes…"

"But… how could you have…?" Silver began. Blaze cut him off.

"There are many families in the Cat Kingdom that share this coloring. Most people aren't aware of my kingdom's customs, so they would assume that the jewel on my forehead is normal for anyone in my kingdom – or at least those with royal blood." Blaze explained.

"That's what you told me it was for. That's what you told everyone." Silver didn't look extremely happy.

"Of course that's what I told everyone. That way they wouldn't look into it any farther. Most people in my kingdom and everyone outside of it believe that I am being homeschooled in the palace, and I came down with a disease that now makes me too weak to leave it for any kind of event."

"But… you lied! Why would you lie to anyone…? Why would you lie to me…?"

"Silver… people… they treat you differently when they know you're a princess. Do you think I would have been allowed on the boys' basketball team if everyone knew? Or even if I was allowed, do you think the other guys would go all out against me? No. They'd let me through and let me shoot the baskets because they're too afraid of hurting me. It's bad enough just being a girl on that team. I'd be stuck in ballroom dancing class if everyone knew. And I'd have to act like I don't know any of the dances when I know them all so I don't seem like a stuck up little-miss-perfect. People would be nice to me even if they secretly hated me just so that they'd be on my good side. I wouldn't know who to trust or who my real friends were. Most of the teachers in this school would give me A's on everything they grade even if I did none of the work. And I hate that. I hate it when people are fake to me. I hate it when people try to lie to me and use me to their own benefit. But most of all, I hate being treated like a flower. I told my parents that, and the only way I was going to be treated differently was if I was in another place where people wouldn't know who I was and wouldn't treat me like a flower. You know why all princesses are so delicate? Because they're raised that way. They think it's the right way to act, the right way to be. They think it's necessary to let their parents find Prince Charming for them, and to just let him whisk her away."

"Blaze…"

"…sorry… that was long… what is it?"

"First… they still do arranged marriages? And second… is it that bad?"

"Yes, and yes."

"Are you going to have an arranged marriage?"

"Not if my parents value that boy's life. If this were traditional, my parents would probably have already picked out a husband for me by now. But, since I'm in school, undercover, with all intentions to graduate, they'll probably hold off on picking one. I've also heard of previous princesses that have gotten out of arranged marriages."

"How did they do that?"

"Well… in some cases, they were already in love with someone… and in most of them… they were already engaged."

"…oh."

"Don't worry about that, though. For now, you need to be the only one that knows. I think the others looked over what Cam said, but if they ask, you have to help me explain that I went to a self-confidence camp where all of the girls were declared princesses."

"I can do that."

"Thank you, Silver."

"No problem."

"I love you."

"You, too."

**~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~**

**-The next day, at the boys' basketball game-**

Just as Blaze had planned, the "princess" thing had blown over, and no one suspected a thing. The larger subject was Cam's sudden change in behavior, and how mean she had been. Cam remained locked away in her room since then, other than for skating practice and to grab something to eat occasionally. Each time she came out, she either ignored the others in the room or had an insult prepared for every word spoken to her. Even Shadow was subject to the abuse.

But now, attention to the drama was set aside to watch Blaze, Silver, Kevin and the other basketball team members play against the school's long-time rivals, the Cadets. The middle, lower section of the bleachers was set aside just for the pit, which was a group of students who came up with a theme, dressed up according to that theme, and decided to be the most obsessed and crazy about every aspect of the game, cheering and jumping up and down and stomping their feet, following the cheerleaders in the cheers. This game's theme was cowboys and cowgirls, but none of the gang took part in the pit's antics, picking a section of bleachers off to the side.

"Oh my gosh. Those girls _do_ realize that _real_ cowgirls would be wearing jeans and not a denim mini-skirt, right?" Wave asked Jet.

"I don't mind." Jet watched some of those said girls walk by the bleachers, which earned him a knock on the head from Wave's wrench.

"Perv." Wave grumbled.

"Why thank you, Wave." Jet grinned.

Wave let out a groan. "Why does every girl have to be doing something or moping in her room but me?"

"Hey, would you rather go spend time with the cheerleaders, alone in the dorm with Ms. Grumpyface, or with us?" Jet asked her.

"If it weren't for my boyfriend being here, I'd rather be back at the dorm." Wave glared at Jet before turning back to Espio, who was carefully watching the basketball players warming up.

Both teams were on opposite sides of the court, their players taking turns shooting balls into the basket and jogging around the court. When a basketball bounced away from the hoop and was kicked by someone jogging into the other team's side, Blaze ran to go retrieve it. One of the Cadets' players picked up the ball and handed it to Blaze.

"Thank you." Blaze smiled to the boy.

As she turned around to run back to the other side of the court, the boy slapped her on the behind, saying only loudly enough for her to hear: "Dyke."

Blaze turned around, nesting the ball in one arm. "Says the guy who's not brave enough to insult me to my face. Good luck. You're going to need it."

Blaze ran back to the Figters' side of the court, handing the ball to Silver.

"What happened?" Silver asked, glancing over Blaze's shoulder at the other team.

"Nothing." Blaze responded calmly. "They're just being idiots. Let's beat their tails."

Silver sighed and took the ball back to the basket while Blaze finished her jogging. Nothing was going to convince her to tell someone what happened until after the game or if a coach or referee told her to.

"That boy is asking for it." Wave glared at the Cadets' mob around their coach, especially at the Eagle with the number 15 that had insulted Blaze.

"Calm yourself. He will get what he deserves." Espio closed his eyes and nodded, as if he was absolutely sure.

"I'm sure he will, because I'll be the one giving it to him." Wave shifted slightly on the uncomfortable bleachers, not dropping her glare.

"Now I want every one of yas to play this game like it's the championship." Vector said to the mob of teenagers around him. "Nobody comes into our house an' pushes us around."

"Coach, are you just quoting movies?" Kevin asked, sweatdropping.

"That don't matter." Vector snapped at Kevin. "All of you go out there an' play your best. An' if you wanna try playin' dirty, you better not get caught."

The whole team sweatdropped.

"Shouldn't we just not play dirty in the first place?" Blaze asked.

"That, too! Good input, Kitty." Vector referred to Blaze with the nickname she was given by the other guys on the team. He looked up at the timer. "Alright, we're almost out of time. Everybody put your hands in!"

As soon as Vector said so, each member of the team put their hands out, most of them somewhere on Vector's head.

"Very funny. Fighters on three! One, two three!"

"_**FIGHTERS!"**_ The team's voice rang out throughout the gym, easily covering the Cadets' call of "Teamwork!"

The pit started going crazy again as the game started.

The Fighters were the first to score, getting 2 points. But, soon after that the Cadets came back and scored 2 points as well. Vector kept Blaze, Silver and Kevin on the bench for the first half, mostly because they were freshmen. But, he had promised them that they would play. When the buzzer rang for half-time and the teams headed back to the locker rooms, the Cadets were leading by 3 points.

All of the guys who had played so far were sweating and using their own shirts to fan themselves in an attempt to cool off. Everyone was drinking water, though the sweaty ones were chugging it. Vector was giving a lecture, which also contained many lines from movies.

"I know we're behind, but that doesn't mean we can't catch up. Silver, Kevin, and Blaze will be switching with Mike, Aaron, and Connor. Any questions?" Vector asked, looking around.

"Yeah. Why are you putting in three freshmen at once?" Connor, a Golden Retriever asked.

"Because I think they're better than you, and they're not sweating puddles." Vector said bluntly.

"Buuuurn." Mike, a Raven, nudged Connor, who was sitting next to him.

"Don't tempt me." Blaze smiled back at them, earning a laugh from the two upperclassmen.

"Alright, enough nonsense." Vector announced. "We're going to go with play 24. Fighters on 3. One, two three!"

"_**FIGHTERS!"**_

**~(due to Symphony-of-the-Soul's lack of knowledge of basketball, we are skipping to the end of the game…)~~**

There were two minutes left, the scores were tied, and Kevin had the ball. He dribbled until he was blocked by a Cadet, when he psyched the other player out and passed the ball to Kevin. Kevin caught it, but was quickly cornered by the Cadet guarding him. As soon as he got an opening, he passed the ball to Blaze, who was close enough to the basket to take a shot. As she was shooting the ball, number 15 from the Cadets, also known as the eagle that had harassed Blaze, jumped to get in her way, running into her in the process. The impact was so great that Blaze fell down and had the wind knocked out of her, the ball uselessly bouncing off of the court. The pit immediately started booing.

The eagle kneeled down by her, as if checking on her. "That's what you get for trying to play a game for guys. Quit now and maybe you'll live through the season, lesbo."

The referee blew the whistle and fouled the eagle, giving Blaze a foul shot. There were 30 seconds left on the clock.

The teams lined up on either side of the basket, and Blaze was given the ball. She dribbled it a few times, looking up at the hoop. She had made this shot many times before, but each time was different. She shot the basketball, and it flew through the air, coming down with a "swoosh" through the net. Cheers immediately erupted from the crowd, and the rest of the Fighters mobbed themselves around Blaze, showering praise onto her.

There was no way that the Cadets could win. The game was over. The two teams lined up and high-fived one another before wandering to the middle of their half of the court. While doing so, Blaze pulled Silver over to the half-court line, where the Eagle was nearby.

"Hey, Cadet number 15!" She called to him.

The Eagle turned to her, a sarcastic remark ready. But, he never got to say it. As soon as the boy was looking in their direction, Blaze planted a kiss on Silver's lips. 3 seconds passed before she pulled away and looked up at the speechless Eagle.

"Not all girls who play boys' sports are lesbians." She smirked and ran with Silver back to their circle around Vector.

After the crowds had mostly left and the teams had gone back to their locker rooms and retrieved their things, Kevin, Silver and Blaze went back into the gym to meet up with Amy, Prosephone and Rouge, who had joined the gang on the bleachers.

"Great job, Blaze!" Amy smiled at her as she climbed the bleachers. "That shot was amazing!"

"Not really." Blaze smiled back. "I've practiced a million times to get that shot, after all…"

"So, did that guy really call you a lesbian?" Rouge asked. "I heard something when we were cheering, but the crowd noise covered a lot of it."

Blaze nodded. "More than once. But he got what he deserved."

"He deserved to be thrown into a dumpster." Silver put his hand around Blaze's shoulder. "I could have done that if you told me."

"Yes, but then you wouldn't be able to play. And we can't have that, now can we?" Blaze nudged him a little bit with her elbow.

"Guys, can we go back to the dorm? I need to study." Tails spoke up.

"Alright, Tails. Let's go." Sonic said, leading the way. He expected everyone to follow him, which they did, reluctantly.

"Hey, Espio!" Vector called.

Espio stopped walking and turned around. "Yes…?"

"This is the janitor's night off. Mind helping clean up?"

"You mean I clean up while you watch?"

"Like that ever happens."

"Fine…" Espio sighed and set to work.

**~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~**

Kevin and Prosephone had both branched off and returned to their respective dorms by the time the rest of the gang arrived at their own. When they walked in, they saw Cam in the living room, playing the piano Shadow had gotten her for Christmas. However, the song was dark and creepy. Cam didn't look up at them when they entered, nor when Sonic and Amy sat down near her on a couch. Blaze and Silver went to their rooms to shower and rest, while Tails went and grabbed his stuff, setting up his books on the table to start studying. Jet stole the remote from Sonic, and began flipping through channels as he sat down on the unoccupied couch. Knuckles left for his room, obviously disliking the music, while Rouge and Wave went into the kitchen to gossip where it was a bit quieter. Storm, receiving no instruction from Jet, decided to go to his room as well. Shadow sat down by Cam, not even earning a glance.

Even under the noise of the TV, Cam kept playing the creepy music, as if no one else in the room was there.

After 5 minutes and many glances from Amy, Cam still hadn't stopped.

"…Where is that song from?" Shadow asked Cam, hoping to see some change. He still got no reaction from her.

Another 5 minutes passed, and Amy was finally sick of the music. "Cam, will you stop playing that piano?" She asked.

When Cam didn't look up and continued on, Shadow put his hand on Cam's, interrupting the music and throwing her off. She finally looked up at Shadow to shoot a death glare at him.

"Why are you ignoring me?" Shadow asked, now that he finally had her attention.

"I don't know, why don't you go to your little emo corner and cut yourself?" Cam responded, her voice still deeper than when she normally spoke.

"I have no desire to die." Shadow said, tensing a bit.

"That's unfortunate." Cam jerked her hand away from Shadow's. "Since you're always crying in your room at night over some stupid little dead girl."

"How do you know about Maria?" Shadow stood up, the subject of Maria immediately putting him on-edge.

Tails noticed that yelling had started, and he gathered his things before walking back to his room before things could get ugly.

Cam rolled up the piano and stood up as well, putting the bundle up against his chest.

"I know a lot of things. Including the fact that your little gift is nothing compared to a real piano. You can have it back." She let go of it, and Shadow caught it only to toss it down onto the couch, where it unrolled. As Cam started to walk away, he grabbed her wrist.

"What is it?" She snapped her head back around to look at him.

"How much do you know?" Shadow was very tense.

"More than you think." She said, obviously not giving him the answer he wanted.

"Tell me everything you know." Shadow demanded, keeping the grip on her wrist.

"Whether that was an order or a suggestion, you're still not making me talk."

"Bitch." Shadow couldn't help his language now. "You said it yourself; you would have committed suicide if we hadn't shown up!"

Cam glared at Shadow, tearing her wrist out of his grasp. "I was better off on my own! I hate you!"

"At least now I know why you were alone in the first place."

"I liked it when I was alone!"

"Good. Then you're going to love the rest of your life." Shadow turned and walked away, a deadly calm coming over him as he went to his room.

Cam just stood there and caught her breath. Amy and Sonic had slipped away some time during the argument, and Rouge and Wave kept an eye on her as they both went back to their rooms. Jet was the only one who was still in the room, acting like he didn't hear anything. He flipped through the channels with the TV remote, looking extremely bored.

30 seconds later, Cam blinked a few times. A look of shock and horror slowly creeping onto her face as she put a hand up to her mouth.

"Oh my god…" Her voice was back to its usual tone, and her eyes softened. "…What have you done?" She noticed the piano sprawled out on the couch and quickly gathered it up before running back to her room.

**~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~**

Espio entered the dorm at midnight, covered in dust and random bits of food. Jet woke up on the couch, remote still in his hand and the TV still on.

"How was cleaning?" Jet yawned, turning the TV off.

Espio only glared at Jet before turning invisible. Jet easily kept track of him as he walked, with dust and random bits of food floating in midair towards the boys' hallway.

Jet could only snicker as he followed Espio into the hallway to go sleep in his own bed.

**~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~**

**DRAMA. D:**

**So, what happened to Cam to make her so horribly nasty? And with the figure skating competition so close, how will this affect her performance? **

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	32. Chapter 32

**HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! And, for people out there like me, HAPPY SINGLES AWARENESS DAY! :D **

**So, in case you forgot, here's my disclaimer! **

**Sure, this story is mine. Most of the OC's are mine as well, with the rest belonging to EchidnaGirl. I do not, however, own Sonic the Hedgehog, its characters, or anything else associated with SEGA. I also do not own any songs mentioned in this chapter. All of the routines for figure skating portions of the story don't belong to me either, they were based off of the performances of Sasha Cohen and Fumie Suguri. If there's anything else I've missed, just assume it doesn't belong to me.**

Chapter 32

It was the day of the figure skating sectionals competition, and both Cam and Hannah were up early to get ready.

Hannah had woken up Anna and Montana, who both rushed around getting Hannah looking the way she wanted to. In addition, they gathered all of Hannah's things into her suitcase for her. They blasted loud music to wake up, not caring who heard or got angry. When everything was together, they went out into the main dorm area where they had the dorm manager actually make them breakfast. After breakfast, Hannah led Anna and Montana – Anna with the suitcase in tow –out to a van her parents had rented just for this occasion.

In Cam's room, she tried focusing on getting herself together, having packed everything else the night before. No matter how hard she tried, though, her hair wouldn't stay put the way she wanted it to, and she couldn't make both of her eyes look exactly the same. After about 10 tries, she finally got everything together, despite the fact that the bun that she had fashioned was like a brick from hairspray, her head was sore, and her eyes were horribly irritated from the stray makeup she had wiped off. Cam grabbed her duffel bag and went out into the dorm, noticing that she only had about 5 minutes until she had to be downstairs for Mrs. White to pick her up. Since no one was out of their rooms yet, she quickly and quietly grabbed a bowl of fruit, a bottle of water, and her daily vitamins. By the time she had finished this, she was practically late- something she knew she would get an earful for. She wanted to write a note to say she was sorry, but that couldn't begin to describe how she felt. She reached into her bag and pulled out a small bundle of tickets, placing them onto the table before running out of the dorm and to where Mrs. White was waiting impatiently.

Shadow emerged from the boys' hallway as soon as the door closed. He looked around the main area, trying to find something to do. He spotted the only out-of-place thing there, which was the stack of tickets on the table. He walked over to them and looked at them.

_**Figure Skating Sectionals Competition**_

_**Friend of Skater Pass**_

_**Seat B-1**_

The other tickets were extremely similar to the one on top, the only thing changing being the number for the seat. But why would she leave the tickets there if she so clearly didn't like any one of her dorm mates anymore? Shadow shoved the thought aside and threw the stack of envelopes back onto the table. Why should he care? He went over to the TV and turned it on, immediately lowering the volume so as not to disturb the others.

**~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~**

**-a few hours later, at the competition rink-**

Cam sat in the area for getting ready, in front of a mirror and staring at her reflection. She was now fully dressed and ready to skate, with her hoodie on top of the outfit. She looked extremely nervous, and was just trying to breathe properly. Hannah wandered by and noticed Cam without Mrs. White, which was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

"So, the little monster finally showed her fangs."

Cam closed her eyes. "Go away, Hannah."

"Oh, if only I could." Hannah took Cam's lipstick off of the small table in front of the mirror and opened it, re-applying it to Cam's lips. Cam's eyes snapped open immediately, but she did nothing. "Because you should have told your friends before this happened. They didn't listen to us… we warned them, remember? But they wouldn't listen… and look what's happened now. You hurt them, just like Peter said you would."

She pulled the lipstick away, closing it and setting it back on the table. She took a tissue and put it right up to Cam's face before she could make any comments. "Blot." Hannah commanded.

Cam took the tissue and did so, taking the excess lipstick off of her lips. When she was done, Hannah took the tissue and threw it away.

"Now don't you dare cry and mess up your eye makeup. _Something_ is going to have to give you points…"

"They don't give points for makeup…"

"I meant with all the people watching on TV. Don't you know anything? At least you'll be pretty when you're falling on your butt."

"Ms. Hannah, get away from my skater." Mrs. White ordered, storming up to the two. "No mind games."

"It's okay, coach… she was just helping me with my makeup."

Mrs. White wasn't hearing any of it. She turned to Hannah. "Go."

"Alright. See you later, Cammy." Hannah smiled at the both of them before walking away.

Mrs. White sighed and crouched down by where Cam was sitting. "So you lost control again?"

Cam nodded slowly.

Mrs. White didn't look too happy about the fact. "And now you and your friends are separated?"

Cam nodded again.

"I thought I saw a change… your artistry is suffering. If you can't feed into the emotions you felt before this incident, then your artistic scores are going to depend solely on your acting abilities. This is what this competition is now: an act. It is no different than if you were up on stage singing or playing your piano. Don't worry about the cameras." Mrs. White paused and put her hand on Cam's shoulders. "I want you to think of why you skate. The way that it makes you feel when it's just you and the ice."

Cam closed her eyes and nodded, taking a deep breath. Her breathing steadied, and she visibly relaxed.

"This isn't about anyone else. It is about you, Cameron."

Cam nodded and opened her eyes. "Thanks, coach."

"Come on." Mrs. White stood up. "It's almost time for warm-ups."

Cam stood up and let Mrs. White lead her to the rink where the other skaters were starting to assemble.

The show Shadow was watching ended, moving to an endless infomercial. With a sigh of annoyance, he began flipping through the channels.

Infomercial… soap opera… cartoon for 3-year-olds… news… a Spanish soap opera… cooking… more infomercials… news again… finally, Shadow came to a sports channel. It was on commercials right now, but it was better than anything else. Espio emerged from the boys' hallway and leaned on the wall by the door, still with a view of the TV.

Shadow glanced over at Espio.

"Hn."

"Hn."

Translation:

"'Morning."

"Good morning."

Back to normal:

As the commercials ended, the sports channel's logo flashed across the screen as a male announcer's voice spoke.

"**Welcome, sports fans, to the Junior Ladies' Division of the Figure Skating Sectionals competition."**

Shadow could only let out a mental groan. He hoped this incident wasn't going to keep following him…

"Those were today?" Espio asked, raising an eyebrow at Shadow.

Shadow nodded.

"And you're not there?"

Shadow glanced at Espio again. "I have no reason to be."

"Forgetting something…?"

"We broke up."

"Hn."

Translation: "Oh."

As silence took over, the TV droned back into their attention.

"**As you can see, these skaters are all ready to perform today for the rite of passage to Nationals." **The female commentator said to the male. The camera switched to a view of the skaters in their warm-up.

"**First today will be Hannah the Hedgehog. We're going to zoom in on her, but you should be able to see her from a mile away with all of those sparkles." **The male laughed.

The camera showed a close-up of Hannah doing a jump, then starting to stretch.

"**Hannah took second in her Regionals competition, right behind the second skater today, Cameron the Echidna."** The female continued.

The camera switched to Cam going through part of her routine, doing fancy steps going into a jump. When she came down from the jump, she fell, sliding into the wall and narrowly being missed by another skater who was passing by. Both of the commentators flinched, inhaling through their teeth and saying **"Oooh…"** Cam got back up and skated over to Mrs. White, the camera switching to a view of her being asked if she was alright, nodding, and taking a deep breath as Mrs. White gave her another pep talk.

"**Looks like she's got a case of nerves." **The female said. **"It's tough being out there in front of an unfamiliar crowd."**

"**Let's hope she can get it together."** The male nodded. **"Moving on, our third skater…"**

Shadow changed the channel, trying to find something else decent on. Before he knew it, the channels had looped back to the figure skating competition. Shadow was just about to change it to the Spanish soap opera rather than watch it, but Amy came out of the girls' hallway and noticed what was on TV.

"Hey, is that the figure skating competition?" She asked.

"Hmph."

"Hn."

"Stay on it; I want to watch." Amy went into the kitchen and grabbed some cereal before sitting on the couch opposite the one Shadow was sitting on.

Shadow put down the remote, unenthusiastic about watching someone he hated and his now ex-girlfriend on TV.

By now, the female warm-up was over, and the males took their turn warming up. The camera switched to a view of Hiko.

"**Our 5****th**** skater today for the male division will be Hiko the Husky."** The male commentator said to the female.

The camera switched to a view of Hiko skating.

"**He's quite the skater, Sean. He was here last year but didn't manage to go on to nationals. Maybe with an extra season's worth of knowledge he'll be able to move up."** The female said half to the male, half to the camera.

While the boys were warming up, Hannah and Cam were lined up by the rink to perform. It was only a little while until the boys' warm up was over and the zamboni finished smoothing out the ice.

Hannah watched the boys skate from the wall of the rink, winking at Hiko at a point when he made eye contact with her.

Cam, on the other hand, was back trying to control her nerves after the fall during warm-ups, her headphones already in. She had her eyes closed, but was making small motions with her arms occasionally, running through the program in her head.

Mrs. White stood by, watching Cam with approval. This was how she had taught Cam to deal with stress – block it out then leave it all on the ice. The only issue with that strategy was that she had instructed Cam not to let her negative emotions show in her performance. Even as Hannah performed, she never changed what she did. It was only until Hannah finished with her performance and Mrs. White put a hand on Cam's shoulder that she opened her eyes, took the headphones out, and took in the scenery around her.

Hannah was skating off of the ice towards Cam, picking up a small bouquet of flowers that was thrown onto the ice as she came. She waved, smiled, and blew kisses to the audience. When she was off of the ice, a team of girls just learning to skate was sent out to pick up all of the flowers and stuffed animals that were thrown from the audience as a means of telling Hannah her performance was enjoyed.

Mrs. White made Cam take one more sip of water, gave her a tissue to blow her nose in, and one last set of instructions.

"Now Cameron, remember the changes we made. The technical difficulty is what is going to put your scores above and beyond the other skaters'."

"Of course, Coach." Cam nodded. With a signal from the announcer, Cam put her headphones back in, gave the water bottle back to Mrs. White, and threw the tissue in the trash before stepping out onto the ice.

Shadow, Amy and Espio watched as Cam took her pose in the middle of the rink. The camera zoomed in on her face, showing her with a confident smile.

The music began.

Cam did a small dance, spinning and making arm motions as she built up speed.

"**And here's her opening jump, a combination triple lutz and double toe loop." **The female commentator said as Cam did the jump.

She landed cleanly, skating to the other side of the rink.

"**The next jump, a triple flip." **Sean said into the microphone.

Cam did the jump immediately after the commentator announced it, landing the jump well.

Right after the jump, Cam went into a layback spin, leaning back and making an "O" shape with her arms above her.

Coming out of the spin, Cam let her skates glide across the ice, leaning back into an ina baur, which could only be achieved with a large amount of flexibility and balance. Coming up from the move, she stumbled a bit, getting murmurs of disappointment from the crowd.

"Uh-oh." Amy said, completely forgetting about her cereal. "They say trouble comes in threes…"

"This is where she fell during her performance for the school." Espio pointed out, showing off his incredible memory.

"**Next up, a double axel. Let's see if she can recover from that stumble…"** Sean said again, feeling nervous for Cam.

She faced forward and jumped, just barely managing to make the jump. She was wobbly coming down and put her hand on the ice for support, but it was done.

As Cam went into a combination spin, the commentators spoke.

"**We saw some signs of nerves in this skater earlier today, Janet. I thought they were gone from the beginning of the performance, but it looks like they're still around."** Sean said.

"**Let's hope she can shake them off for the long program."** Janet agreed.

The camera followed Cam, now out of the spin and doing a series of steps, taking her in a wave design across the rink before she did more dance moves to the middle of the rink, where she anchored one of her toe picks behind her, stopping her in a pose matching the first.

The audience cheered, some throwing flowers and stuffed animals that they hadn't thrown in Hannah's performance. Cam stood there for a few seconds, smiling before taking her bows. She was breathing heavily, as every skater was after a performance.

When she skated off of the rink to get her scores, the camera followed. What she said to Mrs. White was covered by the commentators, but she was clearly frustrated and upset by what most people watching the video would assume were her errors.

Her scores weren't that impressive, but no results could be drawn from them. One thing was sure: She was behind Hannah in the rankings, her flawed performance not standing a chance against Hannah's perfect one.

"That's too bad…" Amy said to herself, as Shadow and Espio weren't about to make any comments.

Meanwhile, Kevin was trying for the fifth time to reach Cam on her cell phone. He and Prosephone had seen the short programs on TV, and wanted to know what was going on. Finally, he got an answer.

"Hello…" Cam's wary voice answered on the other end.

"Cam! We saw your short program! What's going on?" Kevin got straight to the point.

"…Nothing. Just a mistake that threw me off."

Kevin heard the hesitation in her voice. "What really happened, Cam…?"

"I… well… I said some really horrible things to my dorm-mates… and Shadow and I broke up…" Cam struggled to find the best words.

"What? Why?"

Kevin could hear Cam sigh on the other side of the line. "Kevin… you remember those papers we translated for history, right…?"

"Of course." Kevin nodded, even though he was on the phone.

"And you remember the demon that I'm supposed to keep in my body until it's sealed…?" Cam quieted down saying this, as if she was around people. He heard the background noise die down and knew that she was moving to a more private spot.

Kevin nodded again. "Yes…"

"Well… it knows."

"It knows what, Cam?" Kevin looked at Prosephone, worried.

"Everything. It knows about the ritual. It knows my part in it. It knows every single detail of my life and the lives of the people I'm close to. It's been following me."

"What?"

"It does this every time the seal starts to weaken. It's waiting for me to break down and become weak enough to take over my body and use that time to earn herself more."

Kevin blinked. "The demon is a girl?"

"Yes, Kevin. The demon is a girl. Her name is Melaine."

"How do _you_ know all this?"

"She's… taken over me 3 times now. I learn things about her while she's controlling my body…"

"Okay, so what does this have to do with…" Kevin trailed off, as if thinking for a second, before yelling: "Chaos, Cam!"

"You probably already guessed it… I got angry, Melaine forced her way in, and she said all of those things to the others…"

"…"

"Kevin…?"

"When did she take over the other two times?"

"…once was after my mother died… they thought it was just because I didn't want to be taken care of by anyone but my parents, and I was still upset. Which I was. The other one was in middle school, while you were in the hospital."

"And what makes her able to come in?"

"Very strong negative emotions. Anger and sadness are the strongest ones, but any other negative emotion can contribute. This last one was just anger…"

"Well you seem pretty sad now. Why don't you call Shadow and tell him what you just told me? It might make you feel better."

"I guess I'll try it… Thanks, Kevin."

"Of course."

"Bye." Cam ended the call, quickly dialing in Shadow's cell phone number. Even though it was in her contact list, she had it memorized by heart and found it faster to simply put in the number rather than search through contacts.

The phone rang three times, which made Cam assume that Shadow had looked at the caller ID and decided not to answer. But just before she gave up on the call, she heard a voice on the other end:

"Shadow." His tone was businesslike. Cam had gotten this answer before. It was normally when Shadow hadn't had time to look at the caller and whipped out his phone anyway, defaulting to how he would answer should GUN be calling him.

"Shadow, this is Cam." She braced herself to be hung up on right there, but the click never came. She was simply met with silence. Without anything else to do, she continued.

"I just… about before… I'm sorry-"

"Don't expect just to say you're sorry and for everything to be better again." Shadow cut her off. Just the sound of Cam's voice was able to make him angry again.

"No, Shadow, I don't… but I have to explain something to you."

Shadow paused for a moment, considering hanging up before saying: "I'm listening."

"There's something I haven't told you that I really should have-"

"I don't want to hear another one of your insults." Shadow cut her off once again.

"Please, Shadow, just let me finish-" Cam was getting emotional, pacing around the small bit of hallway in front of the little-used storage room, the most private place she could reach.

"There is nothing more to discuss. We've established that you don't love me, and I don't love you. It's over, Cameron."

"But Shadow-!"

"Goodbye."

"Shadow!" Cam yelled into the phone, just as a click could be heard, once again cutting her off.

She completely broke down, sliding down the wall and hugging her knees, trying to make herself as small as possible. She cried, making her makeup run down her cheeks. It didn't matter, anyway. She was going to have to re-do it anyway for the long program, if she could pull herself together. But that was the last thing on her mind right now. The crying wasn't loud, in fact, it was practically silent.

But somehow, Hannah knew it was there. She had her camera in-hand and Anna and Montana in-tow. Noticing the Echidna down the small hallway, Hannah smiled and took a picture. Add that one to the blackmail list. But just that picture wasn't enough. She led Anna and Montana down the hallway.

"Lost all hope of making it to Nationals, Cammie? You are in fourth, after all."

Cam looked up, only to be greeted with a flash. Hannah looked at the picture on her camera, smiling. "I'm glad I had my camera. It will be much easier to remember this moment."

"…P-please g-go away…" Cam stuttered out, trying desperately to keep some of her pride. It wasn't working.

"Say, Cameron, do you have those extra tickets on you? You know, the ones that your friends were supposed to use? I figure since they didn't come that we can give the seats to some more of our friends so that they can cheer for Hannah." Anna asked.

Cam put her head back down, but Montana put her hand under Cam's chin, lifting it up again. "Just look at her. She's a total mess." She drew back her hand, like touching Cam for too long was hazardous to her health. "Nasty."

The three of them giggled, before Hannah signaled for the other two to pay attention to her. "Come on, let's go. I have to get ready for winning in the long program, and I must look perfect for the pictures."

Hannah led her lackeys off, leaving Cam alone again. It wasn't long, however, before Mrs. White's coach senses kicked in, and she found Cam.

"Cameron, what's happened?" Mrs. White rushed over to her side, kneeling down to check on her skater.

Cam didn't respond, only shaking her head. Mrs. White noticed the phone nearby, and immediately picked it up. She looked through the recently called list.

"You called that boy?" Her voice was hardened, like speaking to a child who had taken a cookie from the cookie jar immediately after she was told not to.

"I-i… wanted to m-make… things… right."

"And did you?"

Cam shook her head again.

"Then why did you bother? Look at what you've done to yourself. This is neither the time nor the place for putting yourself under more emotional distress."

Cam looked up. "Maybe I just wanted… to get into character."

"What are you talking about, Cameron?" Mrs. White used the tone to demand an answer.

"I… I really know now… what Juliet must have felt like. To be in love with someone… who you know won't be able to love you back."

"That's my girl." Mrs. White put a hand on Cam's shoulder. "Pull yourself together and use that mentality in your performance. You'll get to nationals yet."

Shadow had stormed out of the room, only giving the excuse of "going for a run," but Wave and Rouge were awake and planning to go shopping. They were in the living room eating when Hiko came onto the TV.

"**Now it's time for our 5****th**** skater in the male division, Hiko the Husky." **The female commentator announced.

"**Did you know that Hiko actually means "Ice", Tammy?"** Sean said to his female counterpart.

"**No, I didn't. Looks like his parents knew what they were doing when they named him, though, because this skater really makes the ice his own."** The camera moved to Hiko skating out to the middle of the rink as Tammy spoke.

"Thank God, he's not wearing another one of those sparkly unitards." Amy fell back against the back of the couch for added emphasis.

"Paying more attention to the outfits than the actual skaters, hm?" Wave asked, glancing Amy's way.

"It's hard not to." Amy replied.

Hiko, much unlike the other males he was competing against, was wearing what looked exactly like a tuxedo. However, there weren't multiple layers to this outfit, instead one very carefully decorated, flexible layer of clothing. The top and pants were separate, with the pants having loops at the bottom that went into the arch of his skates to stay in place. The look was completed with a bowtie and a sewn-on flower, looking almost exactly like a red rose.

"**Hiko will be skating his program to **_**Firebird**_** by Stravinsky."** Sean said into the mic as Hiko took his pose.

When the music started and they watched Hiko begin to skate, Rouge randomly started laughing.

Amy moved her eyes away from the TV to look at Rouge. "What's so funny?"

"It's strange to see a boy be so graceful. No wonder male figure skaters are assumed to be gay."

"That's not very nice." Amy frowned.

"The world isn't very nice. Deal with it." Rouge turned back to the TV, continuing to giggle.

Amy looked back at Hiko, the frown remaining there.

When his performance was through, Hiko was currently in first place.

There was a half-hour intermission for judges to post official results, for the skaters to change, and for the zamboni to once again smooth out the ice. Only those who ranked third and above in their individual classes would make it on to nationals.

Cam was busy washing off the makeup that had trailed down her face and re-applying her makeup for the Romeo and Juliet performance.

Back at the dorms, though, it had become late enough in the morning and the others had begun to wake up. Knuckles emerged from the door, looking very confused.

"Anyone care to explain why Shadow's so pissed?"

Rouge turned to him from her spot outside the girls' hallway. She had been waiting for Wave to gather the things she forgot.

"His ex called him." She said.

"He's gonna break something." Knuckles predicted, just as a muffled shattering sound came from the other room.

"What was that?" Blaze asked, emerging from the girls' hallway.

Silver ran out of the boys' hallway before anyone had a chance to answer. "Who pissed Shadow off?"

"I guess that answers my question…" Blaze sweatdropped.

Another boom, though this one wasn't the sound of shattering, only something colliding with a wall, went through the room.

Sonic and Jet came out, squeezing out of the door at the same time, both loudly proclaiming: "I WIN!"

"Do you think he's going to need medical attention…?" Amy asked, shifting slightly on the couch.

"Not as much as anyone who tries talking to him will." Sonic turned away from the argument with Jet, assuming who they were talking about was Shadow.

Another noise could be heard, this one nowhere near as loud, coming from the door. Someone was knocking.

"If that's a teacher coming about the noise…" Amy trailed off as she opened the door for the unknown person at the door. As soon as she opened it and saw who it was, she tried slamming the door shut, but she had no such luck. Peter stopped the door from closing and pushed his way inside, making Amy instinctively back up.

Wave emerged from the girls' hallway just in time to see Peter, and she instinctively pulled out her wrench.

Peter, surprisingly, was alone.

"What are you doing here?" Amy glared at Peter.

"Not much of a reason. I heard what happened and just wanted to stop by and say I told you so." Peter wandered casually around the dorm.

"How mature of you." Wave sneered at the porcupine.

"It's true, though. I told you Cameron would end up hurting you, and look at what happened. You should have listened to me before. I know what I'm talking about. It wasn't good to let her earn her self-confidence back. Earlier in the school year, when you saw us calling her those things and beating her up, it was all for a good reason. Keeping her in constant hell keeps her at bay. When she went through those things we did to her daily, she developed a sense of normalcy with it. Before, no matter what anyone did to her, she would put up with it and never get angry enough to do what she did to you. If she doesn't get close to people, she can't hurt them. We gave ourselves the job of keeping her under control after she did that to us in elementary school, after her mother died."

"Hold on a second, don't tell me-" Amy started.

"We were friends." Peter interrupted her, confirming her suspicions.

Another muffled impact came from the boys' hallway.

"I assume that's the boyfriend, since he's not in here." Peter said, as if thinking aloud.

"Well you've said your bit. Leave." Wave warned Peter, shifting her wrench's resting position from her shoulder to her free hand.

"As you wish…" Peter walked towards the door. "But one more thing."

"What?" Sonic stepped forward, protectively stepping in front of Amy.

"I'm offering to pass the torch to you. You're little group can take the responsibility of keeping Cameron under control, or, we'll gladly keep it. I'll give you a week to decide, but we'll be in charge in the meantime… so you can watch and learn." Peter smiled and left the room, leaving a thick uncomfortable silence hanging in the room.

"No one is to tell Shadow about this…" Amy said first, receiving nods from the rest of the room.

Cam skated out onto the ice, her makeup back to perfection, her outfit changed, and her mind once again strictly focused on nothing but the task at hand. She stopped in the middle of the ice, facing the judges, and took her pose, smiling.

As the music began to play, Cam purposely melted her expression, gradually making her face more and more pained. She grabbed her heart and spun at the same time, sending one last look to the judges that would drive anyone sensitive to others to tears.

The camera happened to focus right in on her face during those moments.

Cam started to build up speed while skating around the rink.

"**Here's her first jump, a double axel."** Tammy said into the microphone.

Cam approached the jump facing backwards until the last moment, where she faced forward and jumped, landing cleanly. With plenty of speed left over from the jump, she was able to focus completely on her expressions and arm movements, making them as convincing and artistic as possible, respectively. She turned around and jumped again, this time starting backwards.

"**And a nice triple flip. Let's hope she can keep this up for the triple loop..."** Sean trailed off as Cam jumped once again. This jump was clean as well, and had the crowd hooked on the performance.

Cam now went into a combination spin, consisting of a back camel spin, sit spin, change foot camel spin, sit spin variation, switch foot sit spin, and a Y-spin. She blew a kiss to the audience, skated a short way, and then went into another spin, this one a layback spin in which she simply changed the position of her arms and a biellman spin.

"**This seems like a much better pattern for her, Sean."** Tammy commented as Cam was making no special moves, only reaching her hand out and drawing it back, clutching the hand to her chest. Her expressions once again were caught on camera, and flowed throughout her entire body. **"Getting those tough jumps out of the way early can help."**

But, Cam was building up speed once again, about to prove Tammy wrong.

"**She's not out of the woods yet."** Sean warned.

Cam did a double flip and double toe loop combination jump, leaving the triples behind for now. Briefly skating across the rink, she followed up with a triple toe loop step triple salchow.

Following up with a death drop spin combined with a sit spin with varying arm positions, Cam kept the same expression on her face even as she did another double axel.

The music slowed and quieted, but trilled up just as Cam did a stag jump, or a leap, and replaced her expression with a huge smile. Her steps going into a circular step sequence were much faster, and her body language dramatically changed so that no trace of the previous sorrow could be found.

The music became much more dramatic, and Cam began the spirals that she always did so well, not letting the fact change any time soon. Coming out of the spirals, she did one last jump, a trple salchow, kicking her leg up at the end of it with the music into almost a standing splits.

As her final move, Cam did a combination spin, consisting of a camel spin, sit spin, haircutter spin, change foot, sit spin, and I-spin.

As the music stopped, her foot slammed down into the ice, stopping her facing the judges, an enormous smile now on her face, with no other reason behind it than the perfect performance she had given. Now that she was stopped the camera zoomed in on her face again, capturing the expression just before she broke the pose to take her bows, breathing heavily.

She actually picked up one of the many stuffed animals that were thrown for her this time: the crowd was obviously pleased with her enormous comeback. It was a polar bear plush, wearing an adorable red scarf. Flurry and Blizzard were sure to like that if they were watching.

As she sat down waiting for her results, she put her skate guards on and drank some water, discussing the performance with Mrs. White. As the results were announced and came up on the scoreboard, Cam's grin reappeared. She had caught up with Hannah, landing her in second. Now, it was all up to the other skaters to see if she was going to make it to nationals or not. But surely, if they were watching her, they would be spooked.

**~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~**

**So, this chapter was actually going to end up being over 8,000 words long. But, for the sake of people with lives who have to take things one chapter at a time, I have cut off a portion at a good stopping point and put it onto the next chapter of this story, which will now be given more content, making it grow to a more decent size. This will be about Valentine 's Day, so expect it soon!**

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	33. Chapter 33

**This chapter was actually written along with the previous chapter, but it was turning out too long. So, I picked a good point to divide it into a new chapter. So, without further adieu, here is Chapter 33!**

**In case you forgot, here's the disclaimer:**

**Sure, this story is mine. Most of the OC's are mine as well, with the rest belonging to EchidnaGirl. I do not, however, own Sonic the Hedgehog, its characters, or anything else associated with SEGA. I also do not own any songs mentioned in this chapter. All of the routines for figure skating portions of the story don't belong to me either, they were based off of the performances of Sasha Cohen and Fumie Suguri. If there's anything else I've missed, just assume it doesn't belong to me.**

**I also don't own the song "Good Girl Gone Bad" by Rihanna.**

Chapter 33

**~the next day, in math class~**

The bell rang, and everyone was seated, becoming quiet as Jannette demanded their attention for the lesson to start. Before she could speak, though, Omeletteman came over the speakers for the daily morning announcements.

"**Good morning, Mobius Academy. Today is Monday, January 24****th****, and here are your daily announcements. Get your dancing shoes ready, because the annual Sweethearts dance is less than 2 weeks away, where our ballroom dancing class will be teaching a new dance. Food, music, and fun for all! The calculator club will meet…"**

"What a joke." Shadow suddenly said, drawing all but Tails' attention away from the announcements about the Calculator Club.

"What do you mean, Shads?" Sonic asked, now ignoring the next announcement about drama club.

"Valentine's Day. That stupid dance. They're both jokes."

Sonic sweatdropped.

Amy couldn't believe what she was hearing. Valentine's Day was her favorite holiday! Amy looked around the room. Most of the other classmates were looking at Shadow as well, while Cam was taking a deep breath, obviously trying _not_ to look at Shadow.

Hannah was smirking at Cam from across the room.

As silence once again descended on the class, the announcements came back into focus.

"**And finally, congratulations to our three figure skaters, Hannah the Hedgehog, Cameron the Echidna, and Hiko the Husky. Hannah and Hiko placed first in their categories, while Cameron placed third in the same category as Hannah. All of them have qualified for and are planning on going to the Figure Skating Nationals competition in a couple of months." **

Cheers went through the corner containing Hannah and Peter, for both Hannah and Hiko's sake. Cam smiled slightly to herself, remembering the long program performance again. The smile quickly vanished, though, when Jannette called attention back to the front of the classroom.

Amy was enjoying science compared to last period. She no longer had to put up with Jannette hitting on Sonic, for one, but she also got to spend time with Sonic while working on the lab the class was doing in their partners. Amy went to get the next chemical they needed from the back of the room, getting a glance at the other partners.

Hannah, Anna and Montana were all sitting at the same table, giggling to each other, completely ignoring the assignment.

"Well, you know, now that she's made it to Nationals, this is war." Montana said matter-of-factly, nodding.

"What kind of war?" Anna tilted her head.

"Not the kind with guns. The kind of war that we can be in without getting in trouble." Hannah said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a box of permanent markers, smirking.

"Ooooh, whatever this is, it's going to be fun." Montana grinned.

Amy knew _that_ wasn't going to be pretty. But, at least the plan they had only involved markers. Maybe they were going to make an insulting sign or something.

Pouring the chemicals into the beakers and test tubes was difficult enough without the fact that the containers had a tendency to fall over for no reason. So, extra caution had to be used in this lab, which meant holding everything upright while the chemicals were poured. Although the chemicals weren't dangerous, they were all advised to wash their hands if they got something on them.

As Amy was walking back with the chemicals she needed in hand, she saw Cam and Shadow in the awkward process of Shadow holding a test tube as Cam put some drops into it. Cam subconsciously put her hand over Shadow's, onto the beaker, for her own hand's stability. When Shadow stiffened, she immediately noticed the mistake and took her hand away.

"Sorry!" Cam quickly apologized.

"Hmph." Shadow put the test tube back in its holder and walked to the sink, washing his hands. Amy continued to listen back as she passed by, but she wondered why exactly Shadow was washing his hands. She hadn't seen and chemicals wash onto him. That's when it hit her: It was because he and Cam made contact.

"What took you so long, Ames?" Sonic teased her when she reached the table.

"Hey, you try measuring out these amounts perfectly. I swear, I never knew pouring liquid into a tube could be so complicated…" Amy pushed her other thoughts aside and began working on the lab. Looking at the paper the groups had been given, she read the instructions out loud. "Okay, so we're supposed to pour the cupric sulfate into the magnesium chloride… and write down what it does."

"HIT THE DECK!" Sonic practically tackled Amy when the test tube exploded.

"What in the world? I gave you chemicals that specifically would not explode!" Eggman yelled.

"Wow. Good job, Faker." Shadow sneered as he walked by.

"Hedgehog, clean up that mess this instant!" Eggman was beet red, and practically threw the dustpan at Sonic.

Sonic smirked as he caught the ever-so-familiar cleaning tool. Amy giggled and got up to wait at the side of the room while Sonic cleaned up the glass. Looking around the room, she saw Blaze and Silver almost done with the lab, talking each other through the chemical formulas they were supposed to figure out based on the reactions they saw. Knuckles and Rouge were arguing, but getting more work done than she and Sonic were.

"I told you, Knucklehead, I'll do it!" Rouge slapped Knuckles' hand away from a beaker.

"I'm not going to sit here and watch, Batgirl!"

"Yes, you are. You've broken 5 test tubes, 3 beakers, and 7 graduated cylinders. You can't do the formulas, so let me do it and be patient before you blow something up, too." Rouge snapped at the Echidna.

Knuckles growled at the bat, but nothing else while Eggman was still riled up from Sonic performing the physically impossible.

She then noticed Espio glancing disapprovingly at Cam, who had gotten Kevin to leave his lab partner for a moment and leave the room with her. Eggman turned to Espio. "Mr. Chameleon, go and make sure they aren't plotting a terrorist attack, then bring them back here."

Espio nodded and turned invisible, the only indication of his presence being when the door opened and closed itself. It was only until after the bell rang when the three of them came in and grabbed their things to go to gym.

Hannah was happy, the plan was going to work perfectly. Because of her late return to class, Cameron was behind in getting to gym, and then changing. Anna, Montana and herself would simply wait around like they always did, already changed, for the other girls to leave the room. When the last girl, Blaze, had left, Anna went and closed the door to make sure they had privacy. Hannah got out her camera and Montana got out the markers. Cam finished changing and went for the door, when Anna stepped in her way.

"What's the rush, Cammie?" Hannah asked, smiling.

Cam instantly glared at them. Hannah frowned. She much preferred the dull stare from before to a glare.

"What do you want, Hannah?"

Hannah giggled. "Oh, you'll see, Cammie."

Anna grabbed Cam and restrained her, while Montana gave a marker to Hannah and got one for herself.

"Let go of me!"

"What is taking those girls so long?" Vector yelled impatiently, tapping his foot and looking at his watch. The time it took to change was normal by now, but they were taking five minutes longer than that and counting.

"They were changed and ready when we left, other than Cam." Blaze said to him, lounging against the wall.

Vector didn't like the sound of that. Then, right on cue, Hannah and crew entered, acting as if nothing was wrong.

"Where is Cam, ladies?" He asked suspiciously.

"She was still in the locker room changing when we left." Anna said innocently.

Vector took his loop of keys off of his belt and handed it to Blaze. "Go get her."

Blaze took the keys and nodded, going to the locker room. The door was closed, like it should have been had the room been empty. Inside, she heard the sink running. Stepping inside to investigate further, she couldn't hide the shock in her voice when she saw the source of the noise. "Cam?"

"Blaze?" Cam was looking up at her now, taking her attention away from the words drawn on her she was trying to wash off.

"What happened?"

"You're smart, Blaze, you should know already. Anna held me down while Hannah and Montana wrote on me, and Hannah took pictures." Her overall attitude wasn't as Blaze expected it to be, which was sad and about to cry. Instead, she looked more annoyed than anything. Giving up, the brown Echidna threw the paper towel into the trash and grabbed her things. "I'm going back to the dorm to take a shower. Will you tell Vector?"

"Of course." Blaze nodded.

Cam and Blaze left the room together, then split off when Blaze had to enter the gym.

Blaze gave the keys back to Vector. "She's going back to the dorm. _Someone_ colored all over her in permanent marker, and she needs to take a shower."

Vector nodded. "Thanks, Blaze."

When the students went back to their dorms after classes, Cam was already gone from the dorm. She never came back to class.

Sonic and Jet, of course, were the first ones back, both screaming "I WIN!" as they went through the doorway at the same time, followed by the usual exchange of glares and arguments over who was there a millisecond before the other.

"Hey, guys, wanna play some video games?" Tails offered to try and quell the quarrel.

The blue hedgehog and green hawk exchanged a glance.

"The person who kills the other the most in Guns and Explosions 3 wins?" Sonic grinned at Jet.

"You're on!" Jet ran to the couch and grabbed a remote. "I'M PLAYER 1!"

"Oh no you're not!" Sonic yelled, grabbing a second remote then rearranging the cords of the remotes so that the slots were switched.

Tails sighed. He hoped they would actually be able to play the game.

Meanwhile, Blaze heard a knock on her door. She zipped up her hoodie and answered it.

"We're going to go shopping for the dance. Want to come?" Wave asked without sparing a greeting.

"Do I have a choice?" Blaze asked.

"No. Grab what you need and let's go."

Blaze sighed and grabbed her wallet and phone.

Before they left, Amy was insisting that Sonic give her a goodbye kiss, distracting him from the game at the same time.

"Come on, Sonic! How would you feel if we were in a horrible accident and I died and you didn't give me a kiss goodbye?"

"Horrible, Amy. But I have to make sure Tails and Jet don't kill _me_!"

"Soniiic..."

"Yeah, bush-pig, kiss your girlfriend." Jet submitted to the conversation, giggling as he caused an explosion on the screen with the words "Player 2 has blown Player 1 to smithereens" appearing on the screen.

Sonic groaned and put the remote down, giving Amy a kiss and blurting out "Iloveyougoodbye!" before turning back to the game.

Amy giggled. "I love you too, Sonic!"

"Finally, we can leave!" Rouge rolled her eyes and led the girls out the door.

With the success the girls had at their previous shopping trip to one particular dress store, the four decided to start at said store right away. They were already mid-argument.

"But Rouge, it's Valentine's day! It's _the_ holiday for pink and red!" Amy whined.

"Maybe for people who aren't pink and don't wear red all the time. You can't wear a dress mainly that color."

"But-"

While the argument was taking place, Blaze and Wave exchanged a glance and a nod before going through the store to find a dress for Amy. They wouldn't get anything done until it happened. Silently, when they found a dress they thought might work, one would hold up the dress for the other, awaiting a nod or a shake of the head to deliver the verdict. Blaze pulled out a dress with a smile, holding it up for Wave. This got a strong nod from the Swallow, and they went back over by Rouge and Amy, who were still at it.

"Rouge, who the heck wears _black_ on Valentine's Day? It's a day to celebrate love, not go to a funeral!"

"Black is an all-purpose color, Pinky."

"Didn't I tell you not to call me that?" Just as Amy was about to pull out her hammer, Wave butted in.

"Hey, while you were arguing, we found you a dress."

Blaze held up the dress where Amy and Rouge could see.

Rouge smiled. "I approve."

"Rouge?" Amy turned to the Bat, "I take it back."

Blaze handed the dress to Amy to try on, then the Cat and Swallow exchanged a high five.

Amy took the dress to the changing room, and the other girls set out to find their dresses.

While Blaze had no problem finding a dress for Amy, she seemed to have issues finding one for herself.

"Found anything yet?" Wave asked when she passed by Blaze.

"No."

"Well why not? You did awesome finding something for Pinky." Rouge chimed in, her ears having picked up on the conversation even from across the store.

"Hey!" A call came from the changing room.

"Well I knew the kind of thing that Amy would like, and then you had the rules all spelled out for it…" Blaze continued looking through the rack.

"Then we'll give you some rules." Wave decided.

Rouge approached them, so as not to have to yell across the store anymore. "First of all, no pastel pinks. You're lavender already, and you are certainly not the delicate flower type that would be wearing that. It would be best for you to go with red."

Wave nodded. "And don't wear anything too terribly long. No long sleeves, no long skirts. But don't pick something that will make you look like a slut, either."

"Wasn't planning on it…" Blaze sweatdropped, going to a section of racks that had more of the type of dress she was now looking for.

After two hours of shopping, the girls stopped in the food court.

Amy let out a sigh as she sat down. "Sitting has never felt so good…" She took a sip of her smoothie.

"This is nothing." Blaze said, water bottle in hand. "Have you ever been forced to learn to go down a huge staircase with a stack of books on your head wearing heels? It took me days to learn, and I was at it for hours at a time."

"Well it was worth it. You have really good posture, Blaze." Amy complimented her.

"Why thank you." Blaze nodded at Amy.

"Strict parents, huh?" Wave was leaned back, balancing on the back legs of her chair, drinking out of her cup of soda.

Blaze, in contrast, sat up straight in her chair with her elbows off of the table. "You have no idea."

"What all do we still need?" Rouge asked, obviously tired of walking and mall-people.

"I don't think we need anything." Amy answered. "We got accessories, and we can just re-use or switch shoes for these dresses."

Rouge stood up. "Then let's go."

The others agreed, standing up as well.

**~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~**

It was late, past curfew, when Shadow decided to go on a run. Vector didn't care, he had done it before. Walking out into the main dorm area, he saw the Faker and the obnoxious green bird pounding away at the remotes of some ridiculous video game. The graphics weren't anywhere near realistic. He also picked up on the middle of a conversation Amy was having with Vector.

"She told me she would be late, don't worry about it." Vector waved off a concern of Amy's.

"But why?" Amy continued to push for answers.

"I don't remember. Somethin' about ballet and somethin' else about shoppin'."

"You're supposed to be the responsible one, Vector!" Amy yelled at him.

Shadow smirked when he went out the door, hearing the fading conversation over whether or not Vector was responsible.

It wasn't until Shadow started his run that it hit him: none of the other girls would be taking ballet, and Cameron had mentioned her coach wanting her to. He couldn't prevent the worry from creeping up on him the more he thought. She would be around the mall, alone, late at night. She might also have gotten an injury on top of that from the ballet class. She would be weighed down with bags and her skating gear. No man in his right mind would let that opportunity go to waste.

Then, Shadow caught himself thinking the way he was. He had decided to stop thinking about her. That's why he came out on the run in the first place. He pushed the thoughts aside and let himself zone out, just feeling the wind on his face and the ground under his feet.

When he ran back to the dorm, the game was shut off, and everyone was in their rooms asleep, except for Cam, who was asleep on the couch. None of her bags were with her; she must have put them in her room before coming back here. An almost brand-new water bottle and a bowl of cereal on the end table seemed to confirm this. Just as he had thought, there was a wrap around her wrist. She must have gotten hurt. But what stood out the most about her was that there was now a purple streak of hair in her bangs. This, from the girl who wouldn't wear makeup, skirts, or anything girly if she had the choice was intriguing. Her bangs were in her face, so Shadow pushed the hair out of the way, only to see a darker spot on her cheek under what only could have been makeup that was partially sweated away. Since he knew Cam was a heavy sleeper, he took a tissue and used some of the water bottle's contents to wipe away the makeup. There, on top of a bruise, was the remnant of a permanent marker word, still legible: Ugly.

Shadow stiffened, and when he looked at the wrap around Cam's wrist, only one thing came to mind. Sonic's obnoxious voice, jokingly saying: "Oh, leaving so you can cut yourself; eh, Shads?"

The wrapped wrist luckily wasn't the one she was propping her head up on, but rather the one laying in front of her. Shadow gently picked up her arm and started unwrapping the bandage around her wrist. Shadow, on the other hand, continued to stare at her wrist. There, engraved into her arm, was the word _MONSTER _in all capital letters, sloppy, and recent. The only thing that could be said for the cuts was that they were cleaned well.

For risk of her waking up, Shadow wasn't going to re-wrap the bandage, but he also wasn't going to leave her out on the couch for the others to find her in the morning. As gently as possible, he picked her up and carried her to her room – luckily it was unlocked – and laid her down on her bed. Before anyone could possibly notice him, Shadow left the room and went to his own.

He tried to ignore what he had just seen and sleep, but the calming effects of the run were long gone. This was going to be a long night.

**~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~**

Finally it was time for the Sweethearts dance. Three hours before it was time to actually leave, Amy, Wave and Blaze went into Rouge's room to start getting ready, doing hair and makeup. Loud music was blasting out of Rouge's stereo, and Blaze had brought her laptop into the room to look up different hairstyles and makeup techniques.

In the main dorm area, the guys were trying desperately to ignore the pop music coming from the hallway, but the once thick walls had become paper thin at the will of the music.

"Storm, go knock on their door and make them shut up!" Jet ordered the grey albatross.

"Okay, Boss." Storm nodded and went into the girls' hallway, pounding on Rouge's door as loudly as he could without breaking it. There was no answer. Storm tried again. And again. Still no response. Finally, on the fourth try, Wave came to the door.

"What is it, Storm?" The swallow somehow yelled over the music.

"Boss says to shut up!"

Wave glared at the albatross. "Oh yeah, well you can tell Jet to…" Lucky for Storm, a siren came over the music, covering whatever Wave was going to say. Wave concluded her statement and slammed the door in Storm's face just before the siren died down.

Storm blinked and walked into the main room.

"I don't hear any music going away, Storm!" Jet yelled.

"I dunno, Boss, I think Wave might have cussed me out and told me to tell you whatever she said."

"What?" Jet just stared at Storm.

"What?" Storm stared back.

"You're so stupid, Storm." Jet turned back to the TV, trying desperately to hear the words. "It's the one on the left you midget Spanish girl! The one on the- Why do you keep asking? You just saw it! The one on the- WHAT? Go away you stupid fox! GO AWAY! SWIPER NO SWIPING! SWIPER NO F***ING SWIPING!"

Unfortunately for Jet, the music cut off to switch to the next song just as he yelled the last phrase. Everyone – _everyone _– stared. The music stopped, and a video chat came up on Silver's laptop, which he also had with him. When Silver answered, all the girls were staring at the screen.

"What was that?" Blaze asked.

"That was Jet." Silver said. He turned the laptop around to give the girls a view of the room: Dora the explorer on the TV for some reason, and the other guys just staring at Jet. Jet, on the other hand, looked at the computer screen and cracked up laughing.

"HAHA- Pinky….AHAHAHA… What the-HAHAHA- is on your head?" Jet literally fell onto the floor laughing.

"Hey!" Amy glared at the computer screen. "They happen to be hair rollers."

"HAHAHAHA-you-HAHA-look like… BAHAHA- an old lady!" Jet pounded the floor with his fist.

"Hmph!" Amy turned away from the screen, going back to finishing putting the rollers into her quills.

Blaze, for once, had her hair down, and it was being straightened by Rouge. Every time Rouge slid the iron down her hair, Blaze's head tipped to the side slightly with it, then came back straight when the iron came off the end.

"Little twitchy there, Blaze?" Silver grinned at the camera.

Blaze glared at Silver through the screen. "Shut up, Silver."

"Only if you promise to turn that music down."

"Fine." Blaze said.

Wave went and looked into the screen. "Now stop snooping. You'll see us when we're done." She pressed the button to hang up the call.

The guys only took 10 minutes to change, so they were waiting a while for the girls to come out. When they did, it was worth the wait.

Amy was the first to come out, and seemed to have simply gotten impatient waiting on the other girls. Her quills were curled perfectly, with her bangs gracefully curled away from her face. Her dress was a simple strapless white dress, with a red satin ribbon tied in a loose bow around her waist. She didn't have much makeup on - just some mascara and lip gloss – quite a change for Amy. She had a small red bag to keep her phone in and red heels on.

Blaze wasn't far behind her. When she came out, she walked up to Amy, communicating all of her thoughts and emotions to her in a sigh.

Blaze was wearing a bright red dress worthy of her flames, but was relatively simple in design. It was a v-neck with no sleeves, and the skirt went down to her knees. She simply re-used her silver heels, and was accessorized with only a few silver bangles. Her hair looked amazing straight, in contrast to when she had it up all the time. Her makeup was silver eye shadow, black eyeliner and mascara, and some lip gloss.

A wolf whistle came from the door to the dorm. "Your girlfriend is hot. Mind if I borrow her?"

Sonic and Silver both turned to glare at the guy at the door automatically, but the others in the room were quick to follow suit.

"How did you get in here, Alexander?" Blaze asked. A fireball formed in her hand.

"Calm down, kitty. I picked the lock. I'm here to pick up my date." Alexander said, leaning casually against the doorframe.

"You have the wrong dorm. Get out of here." Sonic warned Alexander, hoping Blaze wouldn't have to use her fire.

"No, he doesn't." Cam's voice came from the girls' dorm hallway. All attention went back over to her as she smiled at Alexander and walked over to him to greet him. She was wearing a strapless dress with an extremely small black bodice on top, with a sweetheart neckline. The top was overall very fitted to her body, and the neckline wasn't the highest, to say the least. The skirt of the dress, which was divided from the top with a small black leather belt, was a plaid design with dark purple, light purple, and black. The skirt only went down to mid-thigh. Her wrist no longer had a bandage on it, but instead she wore long black gloves, laced up by purple ribbons. She wore black leather boots (without heels) that went up to just below her knees as well. Her hair was put into two low pigtails and spiked out, and her makeup was much heavier than she would ever wear normally: tons of black eyeliner, fake eyelashes, and purple glitter eyeshadow.

"What the hell?" Wave's voice rang out, once again pulling attention to the other doorway.

Wave actually managed to get a black dress, despite Rouge's reluctance to let her wear a color typical of her. This dress, however, had a big red section going diagonally down across the top that connected to black gems on the opposite side. The skirt was made of tulle, and thus extremely poofy, but made it down to just above the knees. She wore extra mascara to go with her grey smoky eye.

Rouge was with her, wearing a red strapless dress. The thick waistline was embellished with rhinestones, with barely any space to see the color underneath. The front of the skirt fell to just above the knees, but sloped down to full length with a small train in the back. She also re-wore the silver high heels from the previous dress. She wore no eyeshadow, but made up for it in thick black eyeliner and mascara, and bright red lipstick.

"Come on, babe. We're not wanted here." Alexander put his arm around Cam's waist.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Cam glanced back at her dorm-mates once, and then let Alexander lead her out.

Blaze let out a huff and put out the fire in her hand, walking over to Silver and linking arms with him. "Let's just go, shall we?"

Silver put his free hand over Blaze's. "Of course. After you, my Princess." He gestured in front of him to the door.

"Thank you." Blaze walked through the door, and when Silver walked through as well, re-linked arms with him. "But, don't call me Princess."

The two of them were leading the others towards the dance.

"How about Your Highness, then?" Silver asked.

"No." Blaze lost some of the grace that she was walking with.

"Your Grace?"

"Silver, please stop."

"Why, Your Majesty?" Silver grinned at her.

Blaze stopped in her tracks and turned to the others. "You guys go on ahead, I forgot something."

She waited to say anything until the others were out of earshot. "Why did you have to bring that up?"

"I didn't see anything wrong with it. It's common for guys to think that their girlfriends are like princesses, and call them princesses."

"That's just it, Silver. It's charming to call those other girls princesses, because they're _not._ People think it's a compliment because princesses are seen as beautiful all the time, they live lives of luxury, and they don't have a care in the world. Most girls want that, but they're not going to get it being a princess."

Hannah, Peter and crew were walking down the hallway nearby, chatting until Hannah heard Blaze's voice. She immediately signaled for the others to be quiet and stop where they were, just around the corner from the couple. Blaze and Silver never noticed.

"When you're a princess, you _have_ to be beautiful. You have no choice. Worse, you have to be beautiful every single day. You can't have a bad day. There are no exceptions. You have to go to public events you don't want to go to, be home schooled, devote all your time and energy to anything but yourself."

"Blaze, I-"

"And what people don't understand is that I don't only have to do these things, but I have to go through the same preparations that princes have to go through, because I'm the only child! I'm going to take the throne of the kingdom; I have no choice. I came here to get _away_ from that. _Everyone_ there called me those things. So please. I only have a few years left, let me keep my mind away from home."

"I'm sorry, Blaze." Silver pulled Blaze into a hug.

"Yeah, well, you should be." Silver heard Blaze sniff, and realized that she was crying. "If my makeup is ruined, Rouge will kill you."

Silver laughed at that, and Blaze pulled out of the hug.

Hannah gave the signal to her group to back up, start talking again, and they rounded the corner. They passed by with nothing more than a glare from Blaze.

When they finally entered the gym which was transformed for the dance, people were already out on the dance floor with a song already playing. This song wasn't the easiest to dance to, being neither slow nor fast, but no one seemed to care.

_**We stay moving around, solo**__**  
**__**Ask us where you at, we don't know**__**  
**__**And don't care (don't care)**__**  
**__**All we know is we was at home cause you left us there**__**  
**__**You got your boys and got gone**__**  
**__**And left us all alone**_

The two managed to locate where the others had placed their things, with Shadow and Tails waiting nearby. Tails was trying to avert his gaze from the dance floor, while Shadow was glaring into it.

"What's the matter, Tails?" Silver asked. "Too much red and pink?"

Tails shook his head. "Too much dirty dancing."

"It's high school. None of our friends are probably going to do it, but if you go to a dance you're asking to see it." Blaze said.

"Oh, one of our friends is doing it." Tails insisted, pointing to the dance floor still without looking.

_**Now she in the club with a freaky dress on**__**  
**__**Cats don't want her to keep that dress on**__**  
**__**Trying to get enough drinks in her system**__**  
**__**Take it to the tele and make her a victim**__**  
**_

When they looked out, there, clear as day, were Cam and Alexander, doing exactly what Tails had described. Silver looked back at Shadow and followed his glare. He was looking at the same people.

_****__**Patron on brain, ball play you in the face**__**  
**__**They shake the spot, she's just another case**__****_

_**Easy for a good girl to go bad**__**  
**__**And once we gone (gone)**__**  
**__**Best believe we gone forever**__**  
**__**Don't be the reason**__**  
**__**Don't be the reason**__**  
**__**You better learn how to treat us right**__**  
**__**'Cause once a good girl goes bad**__**  
**__**We gone forever**_

"Let's wait this one out." Silver suggested to Blaze.

She nodded in agreement. "I think the ballroom dancing class will perform soon."

All Silver could do was shake his head. "Good."_****_

_**He's staying with a flock of them, oh, yeah**__**  
**__**Got a girl at home but he don't care**__**  
**__**Won't care (won't care)**__**  
**__**All he'll do is keep me at home, won't let me go nowhere**__**  
**__**He thinks because I'm at home I won't be getting it on**__**  
**__**And now I'm finding numbers in the jacket pockets**__**  
**__**Chicks calling the house, non-stop its**__**  
**__**Getting out of control**__**  
**__**Finally I can't take no more**__**  
**__**He finds a letter on the stairs, saying this is the end**__**  
**__**I packed my bag and left with your best friend**_

Cam stopped dancing and turned around, taking Alexander's hand and leading him off out of view. Shadow didn't move, but seemed to focus his attention on a corner of the gym. Silver followed his gaze, and lo and behold, there they were, sitting at a table. Shadow must have seen where they were sitting. Something told Silver that Shadow wasn't over it yet.

_****__**Easy for a good girl to go bad**__**  
**__**And once we gone (gone)**__**  
**__**Best believe we gone forever**__**  
**__**Don't be the reason**__**  
**__**Don't be the reason**__**  
**__**You better learn how to treat us right**__**  
**__**'Cause once a good girl goes bad**__**  
**__**We gone forever**__****_

_**We stay moving around, solo**__**  
**__**Ask us where you at, we don't know**__**  
**__**And don't care (don't care)**__**  
**__**All we know is we was at home cause you left us there**__**  
**__**You got your boys and got gone**__**  
**__**And left us all alone**__****_

_**Easy for a good girl to go bad**__**  
**__**And once we gone (gone)**__**  
**__**Best believe we gone forever**__**  
**__**Don't be the reason**__**  
**__**Don't be the reason**__**  
**__**You better learn how to treat us right**__**  
**__**'Cause once a good girl goes bad**__**  
**__**We gone forever**__****_

_**We're gone forever**__**  
**__**We're gone forever**___

As the music faded out, Jannette came over the microphone provided by the DJ.

"Now, if the ballroom dancing class would come to the dance floor and all other students would take a seat, we can get this boring part done and all of you can dance to your music again."

Blaze sweatdropped. "Well, she's right…"

Most of the dance floor cleared out, leaving only a few students in the middle looking for their partners.

"This dance will be a tango. Be sure to watch closely, because you'll be learning this after we're done." Jannette said over the microphone.

The dancers were with their partners, and took this as a cue to get in their dancing positions. As soon as the last couple was ready, the music came on and the couples began moving, perfectly in synch.

It was only then when Kevin, with Prosephone in tow, found the Sonic team.

"Hey, what's the story with Cam's get-up?" He asked right away. Prosephone quietly watched with a curious expression on her face. It was most likely that she was the first to notice and had asked Kevin.

"I dunno." Amy shrugged while watching the dancers. "She's been getting less and less social. When we do manage to talk to her, she has nothing but rude things to say."

"Was she wearing her locket?" He asked, looking for Cam amongst the dancers.

"No. She hasn't been wearing it for a while. Why?" Amy asked.

Kevin didn't respond, only saying something that was probably an Echidnian curse of some sort. "Prosephone, I need to go. I'll see you later." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and ran out of the gym.

Prosephone blinked. "Something must be very wrong…" She said quietly.

The tango ended, and the ballroom dancing class went to find people to teach how to dance. Alexander, of course, opted out of the formal dancing, even if Cam was going to teach him. Shadow took this opportunity, whether she liked it or not, to force her to talk to him.

Blaze, although she wasn't in the class, decided to teach Silver the dance herself, and led him out onto the dance floor.

Hiko asked Amy to dance, and Sonic was asked by a girl, a junior, who took the class.

The others simply opted out of learning the dance.

"Alright Silver, I'll count it out slowly. 1…" Blaze took a step back, and Silver awkwardly followed with his foot. This repeated through all of the counts until it wasn't so hard for him to follow along.

"1, 2, 3 and 4…" Blaze counted out loud. "Silver, you're going to have to start leading."

"But I have no idea what I'm doing."

"I know you can learn. Just look, you're already doing better now that I've distracted you." Blaze smiled at Silver.

He looked down and realized that it was true. By not thinking about the steps, he actually eased into it better.

Shadow, on the other hand, had no understanding of the dance whatsoever and had no intention of getting one.

"What's going on?" He asked in the middle of her trying to teach him.

"I'm teaching you to tango, dumba-"

"Not here. What's happening to you?"

"I'm getting annoyed."

"I'm talking about this." Shadow took off the glove that covered the once-bandaged wrist. He had expected the wound to have healed by now, but it was still there and looked fairly fresh.

Cam snatched the glove back from Shadow and put it back on. "…self-inflicted wounds heal even slower than a normal person's." She hoped that would be enough of an answer.

"Why did you do it?"

"None of your business." Cam snapped.

Alexander saw what was going on and interrupted the conversation before it could go any farther, putting his arm around Cam's shoulders. "Come on, babe, it's almost time. We should go."

Cam nodded. "Just get me out of here."

They walked off and tried to leave, only to be stopped by a teacher. Alexander immediately entered an argument with the teacher, and Shadow simply walked back to his earlier spot, as quiet as ever.

Meanwhile, Sonic was done learning from the junior, but Amy and Hiko kept getting distracted from dancing by conversations, so they were taking a while. Waiting was testing Sonic's patience – or lack thereof. Seeing her having a good time with Hiko only tested his patience more.

They even kept practicing through when the DJ stopped playing tango music and started playing the normal dance music again.

So, with nothing better to do in the now very hot gym, Sonic went and found the punch bowl. Taking a glass from the student volunteer serving it, he looked back out to see if Amy and Hiko were done yet. Of course, they weren't. He took a sip. The punch tasted a little funny, but then again, Sonic didn't drink punch that often, so who was he to judge?

Half an hour and a few more of the funny-tasting punches later, Sonic had had enough. He walked through the crowd to find Hiko and Amy, but tripped along the way.

"Are you okay, Sonic?" A girl's voice asked. Sonic looked up to see the junior who had taught him how to tango. Well, Amy was flirting with another guy; why shouldn't he be able to flirt with another girl. He took the outstretched hand of the girl and pulled himself up. He used the momentum of the pull to land a kiss right on the girl's lips.

Amy, on the other hand, had just finally gotten the dance down with the help of Hiko, who had been so patient with her to take extra time, and she saw Sonic walking her way. She went through the crowd to meet him in the middle only to see him kissing another girl. The girl, of course, slapped him and ran off crying.

"Sonic?" Amy was praying that somehow it was some other guy that looked a lot like him, but had no such luck.

"Oh, so _now_ you finish flirting and want to dance with me." Sonic rubbed his cheek uncaringly.

"_Flirting? _What are you talking about, Sonic?"

"Oh, you know what I'm talking about."

"No, I don't! Who was I flirting with?"

"That pretty-boy figure skater who's all fancy and proper all the time."

"Hiko? He was teaching me how to dance so that I could dance with _you_!"

"Likely story. Well if you like him so much, why don't you just date _him?"_

"Well if you like that girl so much, why don't you just date her?"

"Maybe I will!"

"Well maybe I will, too!" Amy had tears in the corners of her eyes as she stormed up to Sonic and slapped him across the face, with much more force than the girl before her. She actually knocked him over. "We're over!"

Amy covered her eyes and ran out of the gym, somehow covering her face as she went.

Kevin silently followed the figures of Alexander and Cam down the street. In his hand he held Cam's locket, his book, and Cam's staff, still in the small amulet form. He kicked himself in the head for not seeing this coming.

Tonight was a lunar eclipse, and that meant that the least amount of light possible would be hitting their area. This was the perfect time for Melaine to attempt to take over Cam's body completely, and she wasn't far off from it already.

Cam's locket was what kept Melaine away from her body, which was why Cam wore it almost non-stop. But, Melaine must have convinced her to take it off through mind games or caught her without it and used the opportunity to take a greater hold on her.

What Alexander had to do with this, he wasn't sure. But he wasn't very excited to find out.

**~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~**

**OH MY GOODNESS THIS CHAPTER IS LATE. **

**OH MY GOODNESS THERE IS SO MUCH DRAMA.**

**OH MY GOODNESS YOU ALL ARE GOING TO HATE ME.**

**DON'T HATE ME PLEASE! *cries in a corner***

**Bleh. With the author's notes, This story takes up 19 pages of Word. I don't think this is the longest chapter, but it's pretty dang long…**

**Only a couple of weeks left of school! It's crazy!**

**At this rate, the whole freshmen year of this story is going to take all of my high school to make. Wow.**

**Well this is pretty lame, but in an attempt to get this chapter out and start on my homework… ew… I'm leaving out the reviewer list this time around.**

**THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO SUPPORT MY STORY! Whether it be through reviews, favorites, or just adding me to your story alerts, you all get oodles of oxygen cookies! *throws oxygen cookies into crowd***

**REVIEWS ARE LOVED AND GET YOU OXYGEN COOKIES! No calories or fat. =D**


	34. Chapter 34

**In case you forgot, here's the disclaimer:**

**Sure, this story is mine. Most of the OC's are mine as well, with the rest belonging to EchidnaGirl. I do not, however, own Sonic the Hedgehog, its characters, or anything else associated with SEGA. I also do not own any songs mentioned in this chapter. All of the routines for figure skating portions of the story don't belong to me either, they were based off of the performances of Sasha Cohen and Fumie Suguri. If there's anything else I've missed, just assume it doesn't belong to me.**

Chapter 34

Kevin followed Cam and Alexander until he saw them go into an old, abandoned warehouse. They had gotten far, far away from the school, and Kevin didn't like the looks of the bats outside the door, who thankfully followed them inside when they entered.

He saw an old, dirty window that wasn't boarded up like its counterparts, and decided it was worth taking a look.

Whatever was once in the warehouse was now completely gone, leaving an open floor and an open view of what was going on in the center. There were many people inside, most covered with cloaks Cam and Alexander, along with the two guards and a bat he recognized to be Damian were the only ones without them.

On the floor he saw a circle with some kind of design inside. He couldn't tell what shape it was in because of the angle he was at. However, the color of the circle was a deep, brown-red, and he preferred not to think of what that meant it was made out of. The circle was lit by small candles around its edges, apparently at strategic points according to the design.

Then, all at once, it all made sense. Kevin knew why Alexander was involved with this now. Alexander and his father were part of a cult devoted to bringing Melaine into the world, and all of its members were here. This moment must have been planned _years _ago.

That's why Cam's parents were killed. That's why Damian told her to hate him and to let the hatred grow; so that Melaine could get a greater hold on Cameron. She, along with Kevin and Knuckles, were almost to the age where they would have to go to the temple Omeletteman was having them translate the walls of and go through rituals, which had a varying purpose for each of them. The purpose of Cam's ritual was to renew the seal that was placed on her at birth, and to strengthen it even further so that she had even more control. Being close to this time meant that the seal on Melaine was at one of the weakest points it would ever be.

There was still a little time before the eclipse, and Kevin had to think of something _fast, _preferably something that wouldn't get him killed.

The incident involving Amy and Sonic had attracted enough attention that the rest of Amy's dorm-mates saw her running out of the dance. They quickly said their goodbyes to their dates and ran out after Amy.

Of course, Amy could run _fast,_ even in heels. Blaze had to run ahead to keep track of the pink hedgehog while Rouge and Wave followed. Her path was predictable, though, as Amy just ran to their dorm. Wave and Rouge found the cat and hedgehog on the couch in the dorm, with Amy bawling her eyes out and Blaze only able to hand her the tissues and rub her back.

Amy didn't even want a hug. Amy _never_ didn't want a hug. The girls sat down in the chairs around the couch and kicked off their heels, waiting for Amy to calm down enough to talk and for her temper to flare instead of her current state of heartbreak.

"Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:  
And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place."

The cloaked figures were chanting the phrase over and over again in English, while Damian was saying it in Echidnean. Cam was in the center of the circle, now, on her knees and sitting down on her legs, her eyes closed and down.

Kevin decided that before they could complete the ceremony, he would run in and blind them with a spell from his spellbook, throw Cam's locket and get her out before any of them could see well enough to use whatever weapons they most likely had inside.

Then, somehow, the circle started glowing a deep purple. At the same time, Cam opened her eyes, and looked around, freaked out. She asked something Kevin couldn't hear, stood up, and was about to run out of the circle when Alexander pulled out a switchblade and told her to stay where she was.

Kevin's hands started to glow as he ran to the door. This was the best chance he would have. Cam somehow fought back against Meliane, got control and was trying to get out. She didn't want this, and if he didn't move, she would never be quite as easy to bring back as now, and if he didn't get her out, it would be impossible.

He broke down the door, held up his hands, and as every single person in the room looked at him, he yelled "VCUJX!" Kevin closed his eyes as a blinding flash went through the building. As soon as it was over he ran to Cam and threw the locket over her neck, just as planned. He put her amulet into her hands.

"Take this, and follow me." He said.

Cam was just barely able to grab onto it when he started pulling her to the door. She blinked a couple of times and, regaining her vision, ran faster. "Kevin?"

"Keep running!" He said.

Just as they reached the street, they heard a gunshot, and blood spattered on the ground.

"What the hell were you thinking, Faker?" Shadow pulled Sonic off of the ground by the collar of his shirt and dragged him to the side of the gym, by the punch table. Now without their dates, the other guys came over as well. Tails ran up to Sonic.

"Sonic, what happened? What made Amy run off like that?" He asked.

"She was just jealous…" Sonic brushed himself off clumsily and tried straightening his shirt.

"Jealous of what?" Silver asked, crossing his arms. He and Espio were the next to arrive.

"Whoa, whoa, whoaaaaaaaaaa. Caaaalm down, Silver. First of all, _she_ was the one flirting with that Hiko dude."

"What did you do?" Knuckles asked, crossing his arms as well. He wasn't pleased with the fact that Rouge had run off.

"Punch?" The student volunteer asked, offering the glasses to Sonic and Shadow, since they were the closest. Both took the glasses; Sonic already didn't care about whatever was in it. The gym was hot and sweaty from all of the body heat, so Shadow drank the entire thing while the student was handing out glasses to the other guys.

"Well since _she_ was flirting, I figured that _I_ should be able to flirt with some girl, so I went ahead and found the girl who taught me to dance and I kissed her."

Jet facepalmed. "Dude, I saw that chick; why didn't you pick someone better?"

Espio looked at the punch skeptically, and upon taking a sip, he spit it out into the trash can with the glass. "The punch is spiked. He was drunk."

Tails looked at the punch he was holding in disgust; he hadn't even taken a sip yet and decided to throw the glass out.

"Awesome." Jet laughed and finished his punch before anyone could stop him, though Jet was nowhere near drunk. Something told them that he had had alcohol before. The rest of them threw their drinks away and kept Sonic and Jet from getting more.

Shadow knew that the drinks were spiked before; he had had a couple of glasses before the one he just had. To keep the teachers unsuspecting, he only visited the table a few times at reasonable intervals when it was believable for him to get thirsty. He didn't know if he was drunk, and he didn't care.

"I don't even know why he would do that!" Amy blew her nose into a tissue and threw it into the now-full trash can.

They heard a knock on their door. Wave got up and answered it.

"Um… Is Amy alright?" It was Prosephone.

Wave blinked. "Well if it isn't Rosebud. Come on in." She moved aside for her.

"R-Rosebud?" Prosephone asked as she walked in.

"I have nicknames for just about everyone in this school. You get the privilege of knowing yours, congratulations." Wave shrugged and closed the door.

"It's nice of you to stop by. What brings you here?" Blaze asked.

"W-well, Kevin went to find his friend Cameron… I thought he would bring her back here, and I was worried about you, Amy… not to mention some of the football players had a little too much punch and wanted me to…" Her ears went back against her head. "Well, you know…"

"Those guys are scum." Rouge said. "You're welcome here any time, Rosie."

Prosephone smiled at the nickname she was familiar with. It was a running joke in the cheerleading squad to call both her and Amy 'Rosie' in an attempt to confuse them and get them both to respond to the same thing.

"Let's watch some TV or something…" Amy sniffed.

Blaze grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, where the news was on.

"We're here downtown at a warehouse where strange lights have been reported being seen from inside. This warehouse was known to be abandoned for some time until tonight, when some people living nearby called in to report lights in abnormal colors coming from inside." A news reporter said. She stepped aside so that the camera could zoom in on it, where a purple glow was coming out of the windows. "Suspicions are that this is nothing more than a party, but we were called out here due to a surprising lack of music or people, and the fact that nothing else is happening in this city. Here you have it, folks, the most interesting thing we could come up with."

"Now as you can see, this extremely abnormal and-" A huge flash came from inside the warehouse. "What was that? Did you get it?" The reporter asked the camera man. "Well, folks, there was just a flash from inside and as you can see, it's fading away now… But what's that? There are people running out of the warehouse!"

The camera zoomed in on Kevin and Cam, with Kevin pulling Cam along behind him. It zoomed out to show Damian and Alexander, as well as the two bodyguard bats, appear next behind them. Damian pulled out a gun.

"Oh my god, one of them has a gun!"

Damian pointed the gun at the two echidnas and pulled the trigger. Kevin fell down.

Prosephone screamed and covered her mouth, instantly driven to tears. Wave managed to tear her eyes away from the screen to move Prosephone to a chair before she collapsed.

The camera moved and did its best to stay on the scene, but the cameraman and reporter clearly got into their van.

"Keep rolling, that's Damian the Bat. We may need to use the footage in court." They heard the reporter say.

Cam was on the ground, cradling Kevin in her arms until he went limp. She then put him down and changed her amulet into her staff and faced the bats.

"What the hell is she thinking?" Rouge said. They heard the news reporter's muffled voice, who had put down the microphone, calling the police. What made the news station not change the image to something else was a mystery.

Damian actually lowered his gun and took something from Alexander. He approached Cam with it, who was slowly starting to glow brighter and brighter with the gold of her normal magic.

"That's that stupid switchblade…" Blaze said, tense. "She's going to freeze up."

The guys came into the room.

"Oh, they're in here, maybe we should-" Tails looked ready to close the door, but all of the girls at once yelled at them to get over to the TV and look what was going on. They ran over and looked as Amy spit out the fastest explanation she could muster. Meanwhile, on the TV, as Damian got closer to Cam, the glow surrounding her only got brighter.

Finally, when he was only a couple of feet away, the light consumed Cam completely for a second, and when it was gone, Cam had changed. Her fur had taken on the same color gold as the glow, her dress changed into a long, flowing white one, draped over her so that it was impossible to tell where the fabric started or ended. Her quills were no longer up in pigtails, now let down and moving as if there were a strong gust of wind only around her.

"Hey, she stole my ideaaaaaaaa. _I'm _the one with the super forrrm." Sonic whined. Shadow glared at him.

"Quiet, Faker."

She knocked the knife out of Damian's hands without any hesitation using her staff, then sent a blast at him that sent him back into the body guard bats. She then launched herself on top of the warehouse in a single jump, unable to fly like Sonic. She gathered energy out of nowhere until a large golden orb was in her hand. She sent the orb straight down into the warehouse, hitting the circle designed to summon Melaine exactly, not only destroying it, but leaving a crater where it once was. The warehouse, however, stayed up and people inside of it were spared.

She jumped back down to Kevin and dropped her staff, picking him up and cradling him again. The glow once again surrounded her. She changed back to her former appearance as the glow slowly moved from her body to Kevin's. It seeped into him, especially at where the bullet had hit. As soon as the glow disappeared, Cam collapsed. Damian had just recovered from the blow and was moving back towards them when the police showed up and the camera stopped rolling, showing a flustered news man.

"W-We apologize for the images, the only person on our team tonight who knew how to change stories developed an upset stomach and couldn't come out of the restroom until now…"

They continued on awkwardly with other stories, the weather, commercials, etc., but no one seemed to care. Everyone burst out into questions and reactions all at once.

"HEY!" Knuckles yelled after 5 minutes of trying to get someone's attention. They all stopped and looked at him.

"That, the thing that Cam changed into, was Lana. The exact opposite of the spirit that was probably possessing her before, Melaine." He said, grumpy.

"Why didn't you tell us she was possessed before, Knucklehead?" Rouge yelled at him.

"Because I just figured it out, Bat-Girl!"

Vector ran into the room, almost breaking the door off of the hinges as he ran through. "All of you, with me, now. And do you know where-" He spotted Prosephone and pointed at her. "YOU! You too! We're going to the hospital _now!_"

When they got to the waiting room closest to where Cam and Kevin were, Mrs. White was already there speaking to a doctor.

"They're both in perfect physical condition. No recent wounds are visible. Had we not seen the news broadcast ourselves, we wouldn't have believed that he had been hit by a bullet at all. They're simply not conscious. The boy should have only a scar to remind him of what happened. But as for the girl…" He trailed off and glanced at the others in the room, staring at him. "Oh, are you the two echidnas' friends?" When he got nods in return, he turned back to Mrs. White, lowering his voice. "The only wound we found on the girl was one which was inflicted much earlier… if you would come with me."

He led Mrs. White into the room where they were being kept, and the sonic gang found seats to wait in.

"I wonder what could be wrong…" Amy thought out loud.

"They found where she was cutting herself." Shadow said darkly.

"What?" Amy's attention immediately switched to Shadow. "What are you talking about, Shadow?"

"She was cutting herself, Pinky."

"Heeeeeeey, maybe you two should get back together! You could be emo together!" Sonic suggested.

Shadow glared at Sonic. "That had better be the alcohol talking…"

The doctor and Mrs. White came back through the doors.

"The rest of you may go see them. Kevin is conscious, but Cameron is still fading in and out of consciousness." The doctor instructed them.

Prosephone, surprisingly, was the first one out of her seat and in the room when the doctor left. The others followed more slowly. When they entered, Prosephone and Kevin were hugging, and Prosephone was already starting to tear up again.

"I-I thought… I lost you…" Prosephone sniffed.

Kevin laughed, but he looked exhausted. "Almost, but not quite."

"Why were you two even at that warehouse with those people?" Prosephone asked.

"Well…" Kevin began explaining what exactly had happened.

While the others listened to Kevin and asked the occasional question, Shadow moved over to Cam's bed, which was a decent distance away and divided from the rest of the room by a curtain. Cam was under some sheets and propped up on a couple of pillows with her arms on top of the sheets. Her wrist was bandaged again, and the gloves she was wearing were carefully placed on the side table in the room. There were a couple more monitors hooked up to her than there were to Kevin, despite the similarity of their physical conditions.

Shadow walked up next to her and pushed the purple-streaked bangs out of her face. It could have been the alcohol or the fact that he missed her – maybe both – that made him wish she would wake up and have amnesia. But he had been there, and it wasn't pleasant. He listened carefully to the others in the room and determined that there was plenty more of the story left, and no one was about to get the picture and walk in their general direction for at least five minutes. He looked back down – Cam was still unconscious, and didn't look like that was going to change for a while.

So, Shadow leaned down, closed his eyes and kissed her.

After a second, he thought he felt her kiss back, but brushed it off until he felt arms go around his neck. He opened his eyes and saw Cam, her eyes open, staring up at him.

They broke the kiss, and she looked like she was about to say something when her arms went limp, her eyes closed, and she was once again unconscious. Shadow moved her arms back to where they were before. Despite being left with more questions, one thing was answered: He was definitely drunk.

Kevin was released from the hospital the next morning, while Cam was released three days later, when she could finally hold consciousness. Both of them decided to work even harder on finishing the massive stack of papers still waiting to be translated.

Cam took her first day back, however, to make things as right as she could. She apologized to almost everyone she could imagine she hurt – Shadow especially – and practiced her ballet and skating with an even greater determination and for an even longer time than before. She dyed her bangs back to their natural color, and asked all of her teachers about extra credit and opportunities to make up work she had neglected to complete.

The two echidnas were contacted by many reporters and everyday citizens alike, asking about what had happened. The only answers the two could give them were that they both were blacked out at the time and weren't sure what exactly happened in the time they were interested in, but that they were working hard to try to find an answer. That wasn't necessarily true, of course. They knew what was happening before the drama that was caught on camera, they had gone back and looked at the footage themselves, and Knuckles had told them about his realization that whatever Cam had transformed into had links to Lana.

Damian, of course, was locked up again, and Alexander managed to wiggle free from any serious punishments. Community service was his only penalty, since he technically had only walked with Cam to the warehouse and watched the happenings while he was there. He didn't force her, he argued, to go there in the first place. He was only a witness to the events.

Finally, Cam managed to make up with most of the dorm. After a few apologies and making nice meals, Cam was once again friends with everyone in the dorm but Shadow. She obviously still felt awkward around him after their arguments, and she only thought that the kiss had been a dream. But, with all of the extra work she was putting forward, all of her spare time and energy were gone. Shadow figured out Cam's ballet schedule because of his late night runs, where he would come back to find Cam asleep either on the couch or at the table after doing homework or translating.

**~The next weekend, in Amy's room~~**

"Come on, Pinky, you need to get out of this slump." Wave put her hands on her hips and looked skeptically at the pink hedgehog lying under the covers on her bed.

"No." The pink cover-blob responded.

"Hon, you've been depressed for over a week now." Rouge crossed her arms.

"I don't care."

"Amy, be reasonable. You need to leave your room at one point or another." Blaze was exasperated. She had been leading the efforts to get Amy to do something other than schoolwork.

"No I don't."

"Why don't we go shopping?" Cam suggested. The covers moved and Amy looked out at her. "Maybe you just need to change your image. I know that I was kind of under the influence of a demonic entity at the time, but when I changed my image to a darker look, I liked it. I still kind of like it, except I want to find clothes that are a little more modest. And no purple hair. That was a little too much for me. I need to get out of this t-shirt and camo pants, and I have free time today… so why not?"

"An image change…?" Amy asked.

Cam nodded. "Find a look that isn't your red dress and boots that makes you feel confident, beautiful and independent. We'll go to all of the different groups' stereotypical stores together. Are you in?"

Amy slowly sat up from her bed, and the other girls realized that she was still in her pajamas. "…Give me half an hour."

Cam grinned. "You got it."

They left Amy in the room to get ready in peace and went out to the living room, where the guys were playing a new video game that had come out.

"HAHAHAHA! TAKE THAT, SONIC! HOW DO YOU LIKE MY GRENA- OH GOD YOU THREW IT BACK!" Jet mashed on the buttons of his controller in an attempt to get away, but his part of the screen showed an explosion.

Sonic laughed. "Who's the best now?"

"I AM!" Jet yelled in the blue hedgehog's ear, still waiting for his character to respawn.

"If you two haven't noticed, I've killed you both five times already and you haven't killed me once." Shadow said, still staring at the screen and pressing a series of buttons on the controller.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" They both yelled, glaring at their rectangles on the screen and mashing more buttons.

Tails sat by, operating the fourth rectangle of the screen, not really killing anyone but not dying, either. Cam walked up behind the couch, right behind Shadow. She looked at the rectangle that belonged to him and studied the maps on the corners of the screen, comparing them to the terrain the characters were moving through.

"Hey Sonic, turn left." She said.

Sonic blinked, but did so anyway and came up right behind Shadow's character. With a click of a button, Shadow died for the first time in the game.

Shadow turned and glared at Cam. "Was that really necessary?"

"Why yes, yes it was. Tails, go up that ladder."

Tails followed her instructions and ended up killing both Sonic and Jet.

"Go away; you're messing up the game!" Jet yelled at her.

"Not my fault that I have the sense to look at the other boxes."

"You don't do that!" Sonic said, mashing buttons to try to get back to the place he was.

Cam rolled her eyes. "Video games…" She went and sat down at the kitchen table, where the translation papers were spread out from a big translation-fest the night before. She grabbed a notepad and started scribbling.

Blaze sat down with Cam and watched what she was doing, as it was more fascinating to her than the shooting game, while Rouge went and sat down next to Knuckles, and Wave kicked Tails off of the game when the round was over, taking over and proceeding to kick all of the guys' butts at the game.

Amy emerged from her room just as the round finished, with Wave the absolute victor. The guys she defeated stared at her in awe and shock, with one thought: "Don't give her a gun. Ever."

Espio only smirked, glad that his girlfriend was as capable of defending herself as he would be defending her.

When the girls got back from their shopping adventure, the guys were still playing the video game with the intent of continuing well on into the small hours of the night. It was a Saturday, and they had all of tomorrow to sleep then cram their homework in.

The girls put their bags away in their rooms. Blaze and Amy were exhausted by the process and decided to just go to sleep, while Rouge and Wave went to watch and play, respectively, the video game. Wave shoved Shadow off of the game instead of Tails, who was getting tired of Sonic and Jet's antics.

Cam went and got a snack, then sat in her usual spot at the table, pulling out her math homework. Shadow noticed this, and decided to get revenge for the game earlier. He waited for a few minutes until she was a few problems in and looked frustrated, when he walked up behind her and looked over at the paper.

"Numbers 2,3, and 5 are all wrong. Also, what you're doing right now in number 6 is wrong."

"What?"

"You forgot to use that formula we got about a week ago."

"What formula?"

"You were there."

Cam turned and glared up at Shadow. "You know perfectly well that I really wasn't."

"That's what you say, but you were physically there in class. You should have paid more attention."

For a second, Cam was speechless. Finally, she found the words she was looking for. "Screw you, Shadow."

"Oh, also, you shouldn't be eating that. Your coach said just the other day that you were gaining weight, and it's starting to show."

Cam stood up and turned around, face-to-face with Shadow. "It's all muscle! I'm burning more calories than I've ever burned my entire life!"

"You keep telling yourself that."

Growling, Cam grabbed her things off of the table, minus the snack, and stormed into her room.

Rouge only shook her head and went back to watching the video game. She knew no one else heard the conversation over the explosions coming from the TV. _'You really are an idiot sometimes, Shadow.'_

Come Sunday morning, the boys got a shock.

Amy came out from the girls' hallway in heavy, black makeup, a bright green t-shirt with a black wing design on the back, ripped up, black skinny jeans, and skater shoes.

Jet, the first to see her, did a spit take, spewing the soda he was drinking all over Tails.

"Hey!" Tails whined. "What was that for?"

Jet took Tails' head and turned it towards Amy. The yellow fox's mouth dropped open. "Amy?"

The pink hedgehog turned to him as if nothing was wrong. "Yeah Tails?"

"You- That- I- What- HUH?" Tails stammered.

Amy giggled. "How do you like my new look, guys?"

"What the hell?" Knuckles said when he looked over at what all the commotion was about.

"Blaze told me that you would look a little different after your shopping trip and all, but… seriously?" Silver asked.

Sonic strolled in from the kitchen. "Hey, who's the new chick? Shadow's new girlfriend or something?"

Shadow glared at Sonic. "That's Amy, Faker."

"Huh? No it's not. Shads, go get your eyes checked or something. Amy doesn't wear that kind of stuff."

The rest of the room was speechless. They only sweatdropped at Sonic.

"Well, I'm going on a run. Smell ya later!" Sonic grinned and zoomed out of the door.

"What an idiot." Wave rolled her eyes.

"KICK THEIR BUTTS, BLAZE!" Amy yelled in between cheer routines out on the basketball court.

Blaze didn't have any time to acknowledge Amy's cheer of encouragement. She currently had the basketball and was dribbling down the court. When too many were about to surround her, she passed the ball over to Silver. He caught it and passed it to another team member, who in turn passed it to Blaze, who had run closer to the basket. She shot the ball up past the hands of the guys trying to block it, into the basket with a lovely _swoosh._

"Yeah Blaze!" Amy jumped up and down and waved her pom-poms around.

"That's the way!" Prosephone joined in.

Hannah glared at them. "Rosie, you know that there are _other_ members of the basketball team, don't you? Now shut your traps about her and do cheer 4."

Hannah turned back towards the crowd, and the others were forced to do the same. They did an overly-complicated cheer that no crowd member in their right mind could follow along to.

Of course, Jet the Hawk and Sonic the Hedgehog were not in their right minds. Both of them had somehow gotten into an argument and then a challenge that one could do the cheers better than the other. Shadow was next to them, trying his best to pretend he didn't know them and wishing that he hadn't let himself be dragged to the game.

Cam and Amy sat on the other end of the same row of bleachers, perfectly content with speaking to Wave and one another.

"…and so I told the guy that he had better move along or he was going to get a taste of my shoe, then he-"

"Excuse me, but may I sit with you?" Hiko interrupted Wave's story.

"Sure, Hiko." Cam and Amy moved over in the bleachers to let Hiko sit on the end by Cam. He apparently came from the concession stand, as he had a soda and popcorn in his hands.

He tilted the bag towards the girls. "Would you like some?"

"Sure, thanks!" Amy smiled and gladly took a small amount from the bag, then turned her attention back to the court.

Cam gave Hiko a look. "Your coach lets you have that stuff?"

"My coach isn't here, Cameron. And neither is yours." Hiko took a bite of popcorn and tilted the bag back towards Cam again.

"That's hardly a reason to do it anyway." Cam turned her gaze towards the court as well.

"True, but I would say the fact that you haven't eaten lunch for the past few days is good enough of a reason."

Cam looked over at Hiko for a second, not saying anything. But the look in her eyes was enough. Reluctantly, she took a small handful of popcorn out of the bag and started eating it.

"I'm gaining weight, and I haven't had time to do all of my homework at night." Cam explained. "It's a win-win situation. I get to do my homework, and I lose a few pounds."

"The weight you have been gaining is muscle, Cameron, and if you would eat your lunch you may have the stamina after all of your practices and lessons to get your homework done."

"Coach sent you to talk to me, didn't she?"

"Yes. She did. She also agreed to you being my partner in a pair-skating routine after nationals."

"She did _what?"_ Cam's voice turned ice-cold.

"Calm yourself. It is simply for a charity event. If you end up liking pair skating, then we can compete together after the event. If you still prefer to work alone, then we can both go back to single competition."

"Whatever. If Coach agreed to it, then I can't do anything about it."

The buzzer blared over whatever Hiko was going to say next, followed by the announcer's voice. "The Fighters win!"

The band started blasting the fight song, the crowd cheered, and the cheerleaders joined the mob in the center of the court with the basketball players, yelling and screaming their heads off.

Blaze, Silver and half of the other players on the team were sweaty, exhausted and disgusting. But they didn't care. The two teams lined up and gave high fives for a good game.

Just when Blaze and Silver were about to walk off the court back towards the locker room, both with an arm over the other's shoulder, a black cat over-dressed for the occasion approached them, but only looked at Blaze.

"Miss Blaze, may I ask what this is all about?" The cat had good posture and a slight British accent.

Blaze's eyes widened. "Simon?" She glanced at Silver, then back at the cat. "What are you doing here?"

"The better question is, Miss Blaze, what would your parents say if they discovered that you were on a _boys'_ sports team? What would the _media_ say? And who is this boy you are being so friendly with?" Simon eyed Silver with a disapproving expression.

"Simon, _why are you here?"_ Blaze growled out at the cat. She ducked out from under Silver's arm at the same time as removing her own. She then grabbed Simon by his sleeve and began dragging him off somewhere else. Quickly, she turned around. "I'll meet you back at the dorm, Silver."

Then, she was gone.

**~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~**

**OH MY GOODNESS THIS CHAPTER IS LATE. AGAIN.**

**It took all summer and some of school. Man, I'm lame. -_- **

**Well, I'm about to bring this story to a close. The next chapter or two will be the end of it. Yes, I am planning on continuing the story into sophomore year. Yes, there will be mentions of things happening over the summer. And yes, I'm going to try REALLY hard to get chapters out faster.**

**So my future plans are: finish this story, edit the beginning of it to be less suck-ish, make the final reviewer list, and then continue to write through sophomore year. **

**THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO SUPPORT MY STORY! Whether it be through reviews, favorites, or just adding me to your story alerts, you all get oodles of oxygen cookies! *throws oxygen cookies into crowd***

**REVIEWS ARE LOVED AND GET YOU OXYGEN COOKIES! No calories or fat. =D**


	35. Chapter 35

**Don't kill me don't kill me don't kill me here's your chapter don't kill me *hides in the corner***

**I don't know if this chapter is really "Done," per say, but it was something that I could put out there into the world so you all know what the crap is going on in my brain. Perhaps shorter chapters are in order.**

**In case you forgot, here's the disclaimer:**

**Sure, this story is mine. Most of the OC's are mine as well, with the rest belonging to EchidnaGirl. I do not, however, own Sonic the Hedgehog, its characters, or anything else associated with SEGA. I also do not own any songs mentioned in this chapter. All of the routines for figure skating portions of the story don't belong to me either, they were based off of the performances of Sasha Cohen and Fumie Suguri. If there's anything else I've missed, just assume it doesn't belong to me.**

Chapter 35

Eggman pulled out an airhorn and soundproof earmuffs. He put on the earmuffs and instructed the stundents who would pay attention to cover their ears, then slammed his finger down on the button.

Hannah and Cam screamed and sat up with a jolt.

Eggman put the airhorn down and took off the earmuffs. "Nice of you to join us, ladies."

"I'm sorry Mr.-"

"Doctor…" Eggman interrupted Cam.

"I'm sorry Dr. Eggman. It won't happen again." Cam said to the man in front of the room from her back-of-the-room seat, awkwardly placed next to her now-ex boyfriend.

"You should not be sleeping, especially in this class, Miss Cameron. If you hadn't noticed, you are _failing_. Furthermore, I checked in with your other teachers. You are failing all of those classes as well, even the one your coach teaches." He gave her a firm look, and Hannah snickered.

"I wouldn't snicker if I were you, Miss Hannah. _Your_ scores are even _worse!_"

Hannah gave a shocked and offended look. "Well it's not _my _fault. Nationals are coming up really soon, and my coach is making me practice super hard! And then all of you teachers decide _now_ would be a _great time_ to slam me with huge projects all at once? It isn't fair!"

"Like you can talk, princess." Cam grumbled to herself. She opened her book to the right chapter and stared at the page, trying desperately to understand the meaning of its contents. Anyone watching her would know that she was failing miserably.

The two figure skaters had gone through the same thing in math class the previous period. Before Eggman could rant at them any further, the bell rang and the class headed out the door for gym.

Somehow, Vector had gotten Hannah, Anna and Montana to start actually running. Something along the lines of "every lap you don't run, you have to do two more" was what got them there. So there the group was, out on the track in the cold morning air. The number of laps was set at five. Clearly, Vector wanted to get inside. The speed types of the group finished the laps in no time at all, but the rest of the class was having trouble, especially the figure skaters. Cam, who normally would have stayed running the entire time and more, was now jogging, breathing heavily, and had to stop to catch her breath a couple of times. Hannah was no better, but she had to stop twice as often as Cameron.

When Cam finished her fifth lap, she bent over and set her hands on her knees, all of the breath knocked out of her.

"Do you feel okay, Cam?" Amy asked, concerned for her friend.

"I just need… to sit…" Cam said between breaths. Before she could finish her sentence, the brown Echidna's eyes shut as she fell to the ground.

"Vector!" Amy called her friend and teacher.

"Amy, if it's another spid- What happened?" Vector said as he turned around, kneeling down by Cam's side.

"She just collapsed!"

Vector looked up and scanned the people who were done with the laps. "Shadow, take her to the nurse!" He commanded.

Shadow scowled, but did as he was told. He turned Cam over, made sure her arms were on her lap and not going anywhere, and picked her up, carrying her off.

Carrying your passed-out ex-girlfriend down the hallway during school hours wasn't a very good definition of "fun," especially when you were trying hard to suppress any lingering feelings for her. The nurse, of course, was too busy talking on the phone to take care of the girl or write him a note back to class. So Shadow sat there, in the same room as Cameron, half-hoping that this was the result of some terrible disease and half-hoping that she would be alright.

The nurse strolled into the room with no look of urgency on her features. "Alright, so what happened with this one?"

"She collapsed on the track during gym."

"Does she got asthma?" The nurse asked while washing her hands slowly.

"No."

"How much sleep she been gettin'?"

"From what I know, none. She's been working too hard and staying up all night trying to get her homework done after all of her practices."

Peter stepped in carrying Hannah, also unconscious.

The nurse groaned. "_Another_ one?"

Peter set Hannah down on one of the unoccupied beds. "She passed out during gym. She doesn't have asthma."

"How much sleep she been gettin'?" The nurse asked again.

"Not enough. Whatever time she doesn't spend practicing her skating for nationals, she's up partying all night."

The nurse turned to Shadow. "This girl a figure skater?"

Shadow nodded.

The nurse gave a disapproving shake of the head. "The boy skater came in here earlier today with the same problem, but he walked here himself. You two take these ladies up to their rooms. Stay there, and make sure they actually sleep instead of freakin' out and deciding to study or practice. They are on a days' bed rest. I'll contact Mrs. White…"

The nurse waddled out to the phone, leaving the boys there. The two male hedgehogs glared at each other momentarily, but seemed too occupied with carrying their girl through the hallway to really care what was going on around them for any longer than that.

Up in the dorm room, Shadow had no trouble making Cam sleep. She had just barely woken up when he set her down on her bed, and even then, she looked as if she wasn't _really_ awake. She fell back asleep two seconds later. Now, during lunch, when the rest of the dorm-mates came to check on the two and bring them their stuff, she was still asleep.

"How is she?" Blaze asked, being the first person into Cam's room.

"She barely opened her eyes when I brought her here. Nothing has happened since." Shadow reported. His tone resembled that of giving a report to G.U.N. after a mission, not taking care of a friend.

Silver now entered the room, cautious, since Cameron's room was the farthest into the girls' hallway.

"You can go get lunch and finish classes, Shadow." He said. "Blaze and I were volunteered to stay and watch Cam, since we have the highest grades and Tails wanted to take that test so badly…" Silver shook his head, forever doomed to be confused by Tails' logic.

Shadow nodded and left the room without a second glance.

Blaze and Silver exchanged a look, both silently agreeing that this entire experience must have been agonizingly awkward for Shadow.

Blaze, in an attempt to lighten the mood, nudged Silver with her shoulder. "Why don't you go make me a sammich, boy?"

Silver laughed. "What kind of sammich?"

Blaze smirked at Silver. "You should know by now."

"Fish. Right." Silver said. He, of course, knew all along.

"So…" Silver said as he and Blaze ate their sandwiches in the living room. "What exactly happened the other day at the basketball game…?"

He saw Blaze tense up, but, after a few seconds, she swallowed her bite of sandwich and spoke.

"Sebastian is my parents' adviser. Personally, I think he's a ratfink, but he was only here to make sure word hadn't gotten around about my status. He disapproved of a couple of things, but he couldn't do anything about them…" Blaze explained as vaguely as possible.

"What kinds of things didn't he agree with?" Silver asked.

"Well, that I was on the boys' basketball team, for one, and not in the ballroom dancing class…" Blaze took another bite of her sandwich. "Not that I could learn anything new from that stupid club…"

Silver still had the feeling that she was keeping something from him. "And…?"

Blaze sighed, knowing she wasn't getting out of telling Silver. "He _really_ didn't approve of my being together with you. When he told me, I told him I didn't give a damn, and that he had better go burn in hell before I burn him myself."

Blaze's sandwich was becoming grilled quickly, and Silver didn't fail to notice. He took her scorching hand, trying to calm her down. "I appreciate that."

"He scurried away faster than Sonic can run." Blaze sighed and leaned on Silver's shoulder. "I don't want to find out what's going to happen when he tells my parents."

**~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~**

"We're going to do _what?_" Hannah screeched at her coach, who was sitting next to Mrs. White and Hiko's coach opposite each skater at a table in the skating rink.

"You are all going to start training and studying together after school. " Mrs. White explained once more. "All of you need to get your grades up – even Hiko – at the same time as training for nationals and getting the proper amount of sleep. So, starting tomorrow, you will all report to the rink immediately after school, with both your skating equipment and school supplies. You will all take turns on the ice, and when you're not skating, you will be working with whoever else is not on the ice to do your homework and study."

"No! No way in _hell _am I doing that! I am _not_ going to spend that much of my day with a _freak of nature_ and a _sissy boy!_" Hannah ranted.

Both Mrs. White and Hiko's coach gave Hannah a stern look.

"Hannah." The hedgehog's coach's voice said in a tone that could freeze over hot chocolate, "You do not speak like that to other people. You _will _do this, or I'm pulling you out of the competition at nationals. Do you understand?"

Hannah, by some miracle, backed down, sitting down nicely by Hiko. "Yes ma'am."

"Good." The woman nodded. "You're first on the ice, Hannah. Get going."

Hannah stood up all too eagerly to go to the rink, and all of the coaches stood up and left as well, leaving Cam and Hiko alone at the table. Both skaters let out a sigh at the same time, then looked at each other and smiled.

"Let's go get our homework, sissy boy." Cam said sarcastically.

Hiko slid out of the booth and stood up, waiting for Cameron to slide out. "After you, freak of nature."

Cameron stared at the worksheet in front of her blankly for a good minute before Hiko looked up from his work and noticed her stare.

"Need some help?" He asked politely from across the table.

Cam snapped out of her trance and looked up at him. "Yeah. It's this science problem. How the heck am I supposed to know what makes up a cell? They're so tiny, anyway, I don't see how it matters…"

"Do you have your book?" Hiko asked.

"Yeah, but the chapter doesn't explain well enough for me to understand. They don't even put in a picture…"

"Actually, they do." Hiko said, flipping through the pages towards the back. "They just hide it." When he finally reached the page, he got a small sticky note from a pile on the table and put it there.

Cam took a moment to look over the diagram and smiled. "Hey, that's great! I get it now!"

"They really should just use that picture instead of all of those words in the chapter." Hiko agreed. "But, can I ask you something now?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

Hiko took the paper he was working on and turned it so that Cam could see the question he pointed to better. "Can you explain this to me?"

"Oh, this is history. Finally, a class I'm good at. How did the Greeks win the Trojan war, huh? Oh, I love this story!"

"Good. I understood none of it."

"Oh, it's easy. What happened was, after being at war for so many years, the Greeks made a plan to fool the Trojans. They made a giant, hollow wooden horse – the Trojan horse, which I'm sure you've heard of – and hid men inside it. They told the Trojans that they were surrendering and gave them the horse as a gift, then got on their boats and sailed away, just far enough to get out of sight, before they turned around and came back to Troy. During that whole time, though, the Trojans were celebrating inside their city walls around their giant wooden horse. They partied pretty hard back then after a victory. So they all got drunk and partied until they dropped, and when all of them were sleeping, the Greeks who were in the horse came out and started killing people, and opened the doors for the rest of the Greeks to come in. And that's how they won!"

Hiko blinked. "You just gave me the answers to that entire worksheet, and I actually know what happened now."

Cam shrugged. "Yeah, it's a lot easier to understand when it's said in plain, modern English instead of the old, complicated, elaborately-worded stuff we have to read. Translating all of that old Echidnean helps – they use a lot of words that we don't anymore, but I can always understand it."

"Well, that makes one of us…" Hiko started scribbling down the answers to the worksheet as Cam started copying from the picture in the book.

"Cameron, finish up what you're doing; it's your turn!" Mrs. White called from the door to the rink.

"Okay, Coach!" Cam shouted back, shoving the worksheet into the page of the book with the picture. She packed up all of her homework and brought it with her to her locker, just in case Hannah got any ideas.

On Cam's way to the ice, Hannah was leaving. Their shoulders collided as they passed by, and the two girls managed to share a glare over their shoulders before they had to look at where they were going.

Hannah grabbed her backpack and sat down across from Hiko, where Cam was sitting before, then grabbed her worksheets. She took Hiko's complete homework and started copying the answers onto her own paper.

"Most people ask permission before cheating off of another's homework." Hiko said, somewhat annoyed.

"Shut up. I have a plan." Hannah said simply, sitting back from the papers.

"And what is this plan of yours?" Hiko frowned.

"It's the same as the first plan you messed up, with a twist. Instead of just being friends with Cameron, you're going to seduce her. It'll be easy, with this little homework thing and the two of you pair skating together."

"How did you know about that?" Hiko completely stopped paying attention to the work he was doing.

"I have my sources, dear. I also know that you're going to be ice dancing, not pair skating. There's a difference, even though the differences have gotten smaller. Cammie isn't going to like it, though, because ice dancing, in its own way, is much more intimate."

"Cameron is a nice girl. I didn't know her before. You can't make me go through with your plan."

"Oh, but I can." Hannah smiled and leaned her elbows on the table, her fingers gracefully interlocked. "I can pull strings. You live in our dorm, and we have Alexander, first off… and you can't change dorm rooms because of the simple fact that you have to consult my mother, the school counselor, to do that. My daddy dearest is the superintendent of our school district, as well. You weren't around to see how Peter and I made Cameron's life a living hell before those new kids showed up, but I guarantee you that if you don't do this for me, you'll learn." Hannah purred.

"Just who are you threatening here?" Hiko raised an eyebrow at the blonde hedgehog.

"You'll just have to find out, won't you?" Hannah went back to scribbling down the answers for all of her worksheets off of Hiko's. Some were already done, probably from copying another student's work during the school day. She gave Hiko a sugary sweet smile, kissed him on the cheek, then pranced off with her phone, texting away.

Hiko sighed. "What have I gotten myself into…?"

**~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~**

"Hey, goth chick, should there be chunks like this in the jell-o?" Sonic asked Amy, showing her the little white-and-red lump he found on his spoon.

"Dude, that's gross!" Jet made a horrified face at the gelatin.

Amy rolled her eyes. This was too easy. "Yeah, that's supposed to be in there. It's some vitamin stuff they add to help you do better at things like running."

"Really?" Sonic asked, amazed.

"Hand it over, hedgehog!" Jet grabbed for the cup of jell-o, but Sonic grabbed it before he could. They entered a game of keep-away.

"No, it's mine!"

"I don't care!"

Sonic ended up scarfing all of the jell-o down before Jet could get any. Just as he entered his moment of triumph over Jet, Amy corrected herself.

"Oh, wait, you mean _those_ chunks. Nah, that's the poop from the flickie that got out of the vet science lab the other day. Selma didn't want to let the food go to waste, though."

"What?" Sonic's pupils shrunk before he ran off to the bathroom, coughing the entire way there. Man, did he puke loud.

The girls at the lunch table laughed, giving Amy high fives and congratulating her for such an awesome joke. The guys, however, weren't as amused.

"Don't you think that was a little mean, Amy?" Tails asked cautiously when the laughter had died down.

Amy shrugged. "Not really. It was a joke, and it's not like he got _hurt_ or anything."

"But he's puking his guts out now for no reason, and he's going to be hungry the rest of the school day…"

Amy frowned. "Tails, look me in the eyes and tell me that you think Sonic wouldn't have said that if he had thought of it first."

"But Amy, this is _Sonic_ we're talking about. He does stuff like that all the time."

"So I'm not allowed to play jokes on people because I'm not Sonic?"

"That's not what I-"

"You're seriously still talking about this?" Wave rolled her eyes. "Shorty, it was a joke. Get over it. Pinky, think about it: Nothing is ever going to make Shorty turn against Sonic. He will _always_ take his side. There's no point in arguing with him."

"I don't _always_ take Sonic's side…" Tails' ears drooped.

"Oh, really? Name one time, Shorty." Wave said back.

"Well, I-" Tails was speechless. He couldn't think of anything.

"Stop picking on the kid!" Knuckles stood up, his fists clenched.

"Jak tend. – Sit down." Cam glared at Knuckles, quickly correcting her use of Echidnean.

"Don't you go acting like you can boss me around." Knuckles glared back.

"Who's acting?"

Amidst all of the arguing that had broken loose, Blaze's cell phone started ringing. She quietly slipped away and went into a deserted hallway before answering.

"Hello, Mother. Hello, Father. Why are you calling me?"

Blaze stood there silently, frozen, for ten minutes before hanging up. She was at a deadly calm. When she came back to the table, the argument was still underway, even after Sonic had come back.

The atmosphere around the group was tense for the rest of the school day, so no one, not even Silver, could figure out what was really wrong.

**~A week later~**

Cam was sitting across from Hiko once again, laughing over a comment he made on a book that they had to read. Her translation papers were spread out in front of her, because her homework was already done.

"I am so glad the coaches made us do this. I mean, having to study at the same table as Hannah is kind of a pain, but I've been getting all the sleep I need, my grades are going back up, and all of my work for the day is done in a few hours!" Cam said cheerfully.

Hiko smiled back at her. "I'm glad, too. It's a pleasure to get to spend time with you like this."

Cam spared a brief smile before scribbling down on her notepad while reading the symbols on the paper. After a few lines, she developed enough concentration to speak at the same time as translating. "Say, Hiko, why are you always so formal?"

"Pardon?" The dog blinked.

"With how you speak and act. You seem like a prince compared to the other guys around the school." Cam clarified.

At that moment, the hockey team, full of testosterone-filled, pad-covered, meat-headed guys, showed up by their table.

"Well if it isn't a couple of _twirl-girls!"_ The captain said, catching the attention of the rest of his team. "Look, fellas, these prissy ice fairies must be tired and taking a break!"

"Excuse me, but we were having a conversation." Hiko said as politely as possible.

"Like I care about your _conversation_, you fag."

Cam slammed her hands down on the table and stood up, right in the hockey player's face, glaring him down.

"Listen here, you jello-for-brains! A _fourth grade_ figure skater could skate circles around all of your ugly mugs! You have no right to just tramp over here and flinging insults at people! Now I've just got some new tricks up my sleeve," Cam grabbed the hockey player by his pads and hoisted him into the air with one hand, balling the other into a fist, both they and her eyes glowing gold, "and you _don't_ want to be the one that I test them on! So do us all a favor and take your stick and _shove it up your ass_!"

They hockey player looked from Cam's eyes to her fist, then back to her eyes.

"Dude, I think that's the girl that was on TV." One of the team members said.

"Yeah, she is. That's definitely her. We should get out of here." Another agreed.

A growl from the girl with a little extra glow starting to come off of her fur did the trick. Cam threw the boy down, and he and his posse backed off and went directly to the rink they would be using.

Cam sighed and let the glow fade away, sitting back down.

Hiko stared at her in mild shock. "Such strong words. You didn't have to do that, you know."

"Yes, I did," Cam countered. "I hate being called a twirl-girl in the first place, but calling you that was just unacceptable."

Hiko shrugged. "It isn't a problem. I get that all the time. I especially got it back where I came from."

"Yes, Hiko, it is a problem. They had no right to say those things to you just because you're a guy who figure skates."

Hiko smiled at Cam. "Well, thank you. I enjoyed watching a mob of huge, brutish thugs back down to a petite figure skating girl about half their size."

It was Cam's turn to smile. "I'm not petite, and you know it. Sure, I'm slim, but come _on_. I'm taller than lots of other figure skating girls."

"This is true." Hiko agreed.

They turned back to their work for a minute. As Hiko finished one subject's assignment, he turned to Cam again.

"Say, Cameron…"

"Yeah?"

"Are you planning anything tomorrow? Since it's the weekend and all?"

"You of all people should know what I have planned, Hiko."

"Other than skating, I mean."

"No, why?"

"Then, would you go on a date with me tomorrow evening?"

Cam blinked for a second, startled. But slowly, her startled expression morphed into a smile. "Yeah. That would be nice."

"Cameron! Get your rear end out here; nationals are in _two weeks_!" Mrs. White yelled.

"Coming, Coach!" Cam called. She gathered her papers and threw them into her bag, and before she ran off to throw the bag in her locker, she turned around and kissed Hiko on the cheek. Her smile turned into a grin. "We'll figure out the details tonight. By the vending machines, 7:30."

Hiko smiled back, a slight blush appearing on his face. "I'll see you then."

Cam practically skipped to the ice rink, completely oblivious of Hannah's glare as she walked past.

"Did you ask her?" The hedgehog asked, sliding into the seat at the table.

Hiko's smile and blush faded. He nodded. "I did."

Hannah smirked. "Good boy. Now, here's what you're going to do…"

**~squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~**

-The next day-

As Rouge, Knuckles, Amy, Tails, Blaze and Silver sat around the kitchen table for breakfast, Cam sauntered past them into the kitchen.

"_You_ look awfully cheerful for going to a boot camp." Rouge said as Cam walked by.

Cam smiled and grabbed an apple, taking a bite. "That's because I'm going on a date after the boot camp." She hoisted herself onto the counted and let her legs swing down from the edge.

Shadow, who was sitting in the living room, couldn't help but catch the conversation and listen in. His ear twitched.

"Oh? Who's the poor sap?" Rouge asked.

"Hiko." Cam took another bite of her apple.

"What, you mean the guy you didn't trust an inch and dumped as your dance partner?"

"The one and only."

"But why?" Amy asked, getting straight to the point.

"Well, he asked me, and since Coach agreed that we would do a pair skating routine together, it would be a good idea to bond a little. It might also help with my artistry for Romeo and Juliet. Coach has been getting on me about that lately. I know my routine from heart; being a little bit ditzy and lovestruck couldn't hurt me. It's just a little pick-me-up after what happened with the last one…"

Shadow's ear twitched again.

Cam finished her apple and hopped down from the counter, throwing the core away. "Well, I'd better be off. See you all later tonight!"

With a smile and a wave, Cam ran out the door.

Rouge casually strolled over to the couch and sat down by Shadow. "You're going to miss your chance to get her back, you know."

Shadow spared a sideways glance towards Rouge, not moving his head an inch. "Who said I wanted to get her back?"

Rouge scoffed. "Please. I've seen that look in your eyes. Not only that, but I've heard you carry her to her room at night after she faints on the couch. I've heard what you whispered to her while she slept. But you're too immature to just apologize to her. You blew up at her just because she said something about Maria when she wasn't herself. Yet you sit around moping like you have no life since you broke up with her." She grabbed Shadow's shoulders, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "_She_ is moving on with her life, Shadow, and if you don't hurry up, she'll leave you behind!"

Amy wandered over behind the couch and leaned down onto the back of it. "We heard Hannah and her cronies talking at cheerleading practice the other day. Hiko's going to tell her to go to some crappy, run-down, dangerous place in the city and wait for him there, then he's going to ditch her. If she even sticks around that long, he'll tell her after about 2 hours via text message that he had something better to do. Somewhere in there, Hannah is going to go to where Cam is and do something to her. She quieted down on that part, so it was hard to eavesdrop."

Rouge released Shadow's shoulders from her grasp, and he faced forward once more. "If you're so concerned, why don't you go after her?"

"You're better at fighting than we are, Shadow." Rouge crossed her arms.

"You honestly think that Hannah is going to take _us_ seriously? We're the underlings of her underlings on the cheerleading squad. Two of the three of them have magic on their side, and what if they've already done something to Cam by the time we find her? You would be able to get her out of there." Amy reasoned.

"Not to mention you're more intimidating-looking than about anyone in this group." Rouge agreed.

Blaze wandered over from where she was sitting. "I've been in her classes for quite a while now. While most girls feel like they're beyond the typical fantasy of being rescued by their prince charming, Cam is crazy about the idea. Not that I blame her. If you save her from whatever goes on, and you somehow manage to be nice about it, she may even apologize first."

Shadow was silent for a second. Then, under pressure of the three sets of staring eyes, "She's apologized many times before."

"We've _all_ seen the way you've been looking at her, Shadow." Amy glared at the black-and-red hedgehog. "Suck it up, tell her that you've missed her and that you forgive her and you're sorry for all the crap you've been giving her. Then she _might_ think you're decent enough of a person to date again."

"Someone is cranky."

"GO!" The three girls yelled. They practically shoved him out the door.

**~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~ squiggle~**

Cam checked her phone again, far past the point of getting restless. She didn't know why Hiko was having her meet him at this particular bus stop in the middle of the worst part of town. Five thugs had already tried to take her home with them. The cops had pulled up three times to make sure she wasn't a prostitute. And the bus driver along this route was insisting every time that he pulled up that she should stop waiting and reschedule the date. Hiko had said he might be a little late, but this…?

Another thug walked up to wait for the bus, going to who-knows-where. He started looking Cam up and down, and she was mentally preparing herself to tell him off when her phone rang, indicating that she had a text message.

'**Coach wanted me to stay late. The date will have to wait until some other day. Couldn't reach the phone until now. –Hiko'**

"Great…" Cam sighed, a frown setting in on her face.

"Ooh, didjya boyfriend dump you, girl? Want me to cheer you up?" The thug said as he grabbed Cam's behind.

Cam immediately started glowing and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, hoisting him up like she did the hockey player. "You have ten seconds to get out of my sight, and then I _might _let you live!" She hurled him into the nearest building, breaking a few bricks in the process. "One…" The thug scrambled onto his feet and tried saying something to Cam. "Two…" He tried laughing it off. "Three…" His smile faded as the glow around Cam's hands got darker and darker, going from gold to an eerie purple. "Four…" Cam's voice started changing now, and her entire glow changed. "Five…" The thug ran as fast as he could to the nearest alley.

The glow around Cam faded away. She sighed, and focused on composing herself. She knew that she was a few seconds from giving in to Melaine again when she was scaring the thug off.

The bus pulled up again, and Cam was ready to get on and go back to the dorm when Hannah, Anna and Montana got off.

"Cameron!" Hannah smiled in her sugary-sweet, 'your life is about to become a living hell' tone. "Sorry we're late! Let's go!"

Anna and Montana each looped an arm around one of Cam's, and they lead her off down the street into an alleyway, which was fortunately different than the one the thug had run down. Once they were far out of sight of anyone, Anna and Montana slammed Cam into a wall.

"What do you want, Hannah?" Cam said, pulling out her staff.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Cammy. You'd lose your chance at not being disqualified from Nationals." Hannah chided.

"What are you talking about?"

Hannah scoffed, dropping her happy demeanor. "Please, Cameron, you're not the only one who can sense it when someone else is using magic. You've been cheating, and don't you dare deny it."

"I have not!" Cam snapped back.

"Oh, really? Using an enchanted ring to keep away the pain and injuries that another skater would normally have when they've been pushing themselves as hard as you?"

Anna whipped out her staff and knocked Cam's out of her hand.

"Give me this." Hannah grabbed Cam's wrist and pulled off the silver band around her finger that she'd been wearing since her image change.

Cam immediately fell to the ground, gritting her teeth and growling at Hannah through them.

"Just like I thought. I've heard about this spell before. It suppresses all of your pain until you take it off, when all of the pain that it took away from you comes back at once, twice as strong." Hannah squatted down by Cam, using the hand not holding the ring to make Cam look at her. "You're going to take this ring off every night at 7 o' clock until nationals." The ring took on a slight purple glow for a moment before fading back to its original color. "And if you don't, I'll know, because I just put my own enchantment on it." Hannah took the ring and slipped it back onto Cam's finger. "You can put the ring back on at 5 AM. I realize that 10 hours of constant pain will be hard to live through, much less sleep through for just less than two weeks. But I've made sure that the pain will last that long, too. Oh, and this should remain between us." Hannah stood up and smiled again. "Good luck, Cammie, you're going to need it. May the best skater win."

With that, Hannah and crew walked off, not before leaving Cam with a few swift kicks to the gut, and catching the next bus just before it left.

Cam sat propped up against the side of the alley, catching her breath. 5 minutes later, when she was just managing to stand up, a black streak ran by before coming back into the alley. Shadow stopped in front of Cam, the gust blowing her quills back out of her face.

"Cameron, are you alright?" He asked, offering his arm for support.

Cam glared up at him and shoved his arm down away from herself. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Amy, Blaze and Rouge told me that Hannah was planning something against you."

"What? You could have called me, Shadow! You have my phone number! But instead you run around the city looking for me blindly, thinking you're going to swoop in from nowhere and save me? I don't care what you were trying to be, some superhero or prince charming or whatever bullshit you had in your head, but you were _late_! Hannah and her cronies were here and gone, they did what they came to do to me!"

"What did they do to you, Cameron?"

"I can't tell you!" Cam tried to walk away without the support of the wall, but fell to the ground without any support on her sore legs.

Shadow kneeled down by her in the dirt and grime of the bottom of the alley, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm sorry, Cameron. I'm sorry for everything."

"You should be." Cam turned in Shadow's grasp, making him release her, and he believed she was going to try to stand up and walk away again, when she hugged him back. "Idiot."

They sat there in silence hugging each other for a few minutes before Cam finally spoke up. "…Hiko had something to do with their plan, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did." Shadow nodded, as if to emphasize his point.

"I'm so stupid…"

"Don't say that." Shadow released Cam from the hug so that they could face each other, and he pushed her bangs out of her face. He left his hand resting on her cheek. "I'm the stupid one. I let go of the most amazing girl in the world when she needed me most."

"I know for a fact that there are definitely more amazing girls out there than me." Cam said with a slight blush on her face.

Their heads moved closer together as an act by both of their subconsciouses, and their eyes closed halfway as they stared at each other.

"Then I'll just have to disagree with you."

Shadow closed his eyes completely and leaned in to kiss her, but she put her hand up in front of him.

"No, Shadow. I can't walk, it isn't safe here, and it's almost 7. Let's go home. Then we can talk, kiss, whatever you want."

Shadow opened his eyes and frowned, but picked Cam up nonetheless.

He ran with her back to the dorm, and both of them couldn't help but be reminded of when they first met and were in a similar situation. Cam instructed Shadow to bring her back to her room, where the clock read 6:45.

"About what you said earlier…" Shadow casually mentioned once Cam was safely sitting on her bed.

Cam rolled her eyes and tugged on his hand, making him bend over until she could use her other hand to push his head to hers, kissing him. Shadow, though shocked at first, relaxed into the kiss and kissed her back in a kiss lasting just over 10 seconds.

Cam pulled away and released Shadow, opening her eyes. "Shadow, I'd love to talk to you more about this, but not right now. I'm really tired and sore, and I need to be alone right now."

Shadow nodded. "Of course." He left the room, closing the door behind him.

Cam glanced at the clock. 6:50. As quickly as she could, Cam made all of the necessary preparations for sleeping and laid down under the covers on her bed. When the clock turned to 7 PM, she took off her ring, forcing herself to drop it on the nightstand.

The pain forced her to curl up into a ball and ball the sheets up in her fists, and it took all of her willpower not to make a sound in reaction to the pain flowing through her.

Hannah smirked as she fell asleep.

Cam got none.

**~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~squiggle~**

**OH MY GOODNESS THIS CHAPTER IS LATE. AGAIN. AGAIN.**

**I can't say how sorry I am for taking so very long to get these chapters out. Part of it is my busy senior year. Part of it is video games. A huge part of it is that I'm a lazy bum. Thank you all so very much for yelling at me to do this, it probably wouldn't have gotten done otherwise!**

**THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY SUPER-DUPER-ULTRA-MEGA-WONDERFUL, AMAZING, STUPENDOUS, FANTABULOUS, REVIEWERS!**

**REVIEWS ARE LOVED AND GET YOU OXYGEN COOKIES! No calories or fat. =D**


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